The Memory of Three Lives
by Lullaby of a Deserted Hell
Summary: 20 year old Sawada Tsuna, no good for most of her life, never wanted to get involved with a harem of handsome rising stars. Unfortunately, life doesn't always turn out the way you want it to. AU, Fem!Tsuna
1. Chapter 1: The City

**Chapter 1: The City of no Dawn nor Dusk

* * *

**

**2300 hrs, December 31, Year 2099 (Namimori City)**

The night never seemed to come in the restless city. Not in Namimori City, not anywhere else in the world. Stars had long lost their brilliance, the moon faded into the grey sky that was lit up by artificial light. The buildings, all tall and in strict, tight rows, dullness conformed by their lack of individuality.

It was the time of the year to celebrate the coming of another, a time that families should have been huddling together under their _kotatsu_ and chatting, eating and celebrating. Or lovers to sit under the artificial fluorescent lights that hung from steel beams. For those who had no time – many had no time, it was all _work, work and work_ – they scuttled about, briefcases in their hands, raising arms to check each second passing, hoping to make it home in time at the very last minute to spend the last of the year with loved ones.

The case was very different for Sawada Tsuna. She trailed the pathway – pushed about by the busy hoards of people – it was not as though she stood out anyway. Her tattered windbreaker was thin and kept no heat in, no cold out. The faded pink scarf wrapped around her scrawny neck was of no help either. She rubbed her hands together, trying to create warmth out of friction. Standing by the doorway of some shop to get whatever heat she could, she turned her gaze to the sky.

"Alone, again?" she asked herself, switching her focus to her surroundings.

Colour seemed to fill each corner of her eye – every letter, every number written down, whether on signboards or on each rejection letter she received; each sound seemed to carry a taste of its own. It was ironic, for someone who thought life so superficial and bland would have to forever view the world as full of colour – such was the life of a synaesthete. She had been born with it and lived with it for all her life.

She noticed a new, unfamiliar shop at the corner she had always walked past after her previous job. It was closed; the lights were off. Life sized dolls stood at the window display. It was probably another one of those boutiques. Turning again, she could see a group of girls squealing around a holographic projection at the electronics shop. Loud music was playing –it tasted bitter and felt red; a silver haired man stood before a keyboard, skilfully tapping at each key. It was probably the new, uprising band that the Vongola Entertainment Company was promoting; it was highly praised for the wonderful music, each member handsome and pleasing to the eye, it was indeed very promising.

"Out of the way!" a gruff looking man shoved her aside, before roughly pushing past her, walking into the shop. Tsuna sighed – she could stay there no longer as the shop owners would soon notice – and went on her way. She carried on, back slouched, each step slow and deliberate – vastly different from the people who continued to take no notice of her and pushed her along as though she never existed. Tsuna had always been vastly different – not in a good way, Tsuna was never good. Tsuna only failed and knew how to fail - she could set records for new levels of stupidity.

* * *

It was now half past eleven, thirty more till the turn of the year came. Soon, there became less and less people along the pathway. It started to wind up a hill, and the light of the city was becoming dimmer and dimmer behind her. Little clumps of grass soon appeared on the sidewalk, and more appeared till it hid the path, leaving nothing but a field of tall, thick grass. Up at the very top of the hill, a lone cherry tree stood. It seemed to glow ethereally – it seemed almost magnificent, although no flowers bloomed on it.

The hill was life apart from the life of the city. It was pure and natural, not fake, not dull. This was the place Tsuna had spent almost every new year at – Reborn, her guardian, was rarely home when they had lived together, and now that she had moved into her own, rundown apartment, he stopped appearing altogether, only sometimes sending money to her. She was very much alone now.

Settling herself comfortably on a thinner patch of grass, she watched from under the cherry tree, of the light that emanated from the skyscrapers. They seemed to touch the clouds, but never the sky. It was silent here- no sound of the hustling and bustling – just the crickets chirping. Bringing her knees to her chest for more warmth, she leaned against the sturdy bark of the tree. It was here that had the freshest air, it was wonderful to be by oneself and appreciate the passing of the year like that.

Moments passed, and soon she could hear the pattering of someone's feet. Tsuna wondered who it was as not many people liked to sit at the tree. They were all too busy with their lives for that. The pattering soon stopped, and with the rustle of the grass, the anonymous person sat himself (or herself) on the ground, exactly opposite to where she sat. Tsuna presumed that the person did not note her presence, so in spite of her usually meek self, she spoke up. After all, it was not every day she met a person under this special cherry blossom tree.

"H-hello," she started, stammering a bit. Twiddling her thumbs, she tried to quell the ticklish feeling that had bubbled at the pit of her stomach, partly from excitement and partly from fear. "It's rare to have someone spend the new year here…I-I'm normally here alone."

A rustle of grass, followed by low grunt. Tsuna could only presume the unknown person as a man. He seemed not to acknowledge what she said, choosing to ignore her words and pass them off as unimportant. Tsuna tried again.

"D-do you come here often?"

This time, the person took the liberty to answer.

"Yes." It was a simple, one syllable answer, but Tsuna felt satisfied with that. She let go a nice, long breath, savouring the silence for a while.

"Is this place special to you? It is to me. I-I've always felt some sort of connection to it. It's like, something happened here in my previous life, and I'm always trying to remember it, but I can't. It feels almost bitter and almost sweet," Tsuna picked up her confidence now, talking more.

Again, just one word of confirmation, "yes".

It was now a minute to midnight. The pair, again, lapsed into comfortable silence.

"3...2..."

Tsuna could hear from afar, people counting down.

"Happy New Year!"

At that moment, brilliant blasts of light hit the sky, sending out flowers of beautiful fire. They were blue, green, pink, red – many, many bright colours. Tsuna thought that it seemed as though the world was trying to hide their monotone lives behind those synthetic lights. Ridiculous as it seemed however, it just gave out more smoke, adding to the pollution. The fireworks just gave temporary relief.

"Happy New Year," she whispered, assuming that the person would be listening. She did not get a reply this time, but she heard the grass stirring, and the same light pattering of feet getting further, more distant. She was alone again.

* * *

**1130 hrs, January 1, Year 2100 **

It was almost noon. Tsuna awoke to the sound of the magpies chirping noisily and incessantly, the neighbour's wife screaming at her rowdy children, and a chorus of giggling girls as they ran past her small, rundown apartment. Lifting her thin blanket, she got off the bed cautiously, shuddering as the toes on her feet touched the cold cement floor. It was finally New Year's Day, but Tsuna had no money to buy the traditional foods, nor did she have relatives to visit or clothes to wear.

Looking towards the doorway, she could see a simple envelope that was slipped from under the door, presumably in the morning while she was still sleeping. Stalking over on her tippy-toes, she picked up the envelope, noting Reborn's elegant handwriting on the cover. It was a simple New Year's greeting card. Tsuna smiled – he had done this every year preceding the years she had moved out.

"Ah, how am I going to go job-hunting?" Tsuna lamented, staring out of the window. The place was covered in a blanket of dirty, grey snow. Little snowdrops fell from the sky, carried eastwards by the gentle breeze. It was going to be a cold day.

She now brushed her short and wispy hair - it stuck up at weird places all the time, and since she could not afford the cost of shampoo, she had it cut. However, she missed the feeling of having the long strands of hair trailing down her back, so she kept some growing at the nape of her neck, tied up in a black silk ribbon – a birthday gift from Reborn.

After dressing in the same thin windbreaker and wrapping the scarf around, Tsuna stepped out. The streets would be filled with people heading to and fro the small local shrine near the edge of the east of the city. The roads would be jammed, she thought. Otherwise, the central of the town would most likely have the least people walking about, so Tsuna thought to head there first. Although fewer shops would be open there – people relished in whatever holiday they got, holidays being incredibly sparse now – she would have to deal less with the pushing and shoving.

The streets of Namimori Central were indeed emptier. Tsuna sighed as she pushed her hands into the pockets of her pants, looking around, bored. It was light, clean silence that floated about the atmosphere, save the chirping of birds and the sound of some chatting couples walking down the same path. It was rare, for the place was always packed – silence only came once in a blue moon.

All of a sudden, something caught Tsuna's eye.

"_Haru Haru's Maid Dispatchment Agency?"_ Tsuna snorted. It was an awfully funny sounding name, childish and the like. However, what truly caught her eye was the recruitment poster pasted on the door of the shop.

_Well, I've never really seen this shop around. I guess it's new. I could give it a go – I am rather good at house chores after all, _she thought. It was the only thing, that she was good at, quite frankly. Years of living with a Spartan had honed her cleaning and cooking skills – despite Reborn's often absence, he had expected the house chores to be done perfectly. There was once she had failed to dry off a plate, which resulted in her getting locked out into the porch, unable to go in till it was quite late.

"Excuse me!" she cried, pushing the door open, the bell jingling merrily to announce the entry of a potential customer. That too, was odd, for most doors did not need to be pushed open – most shops had doors that would open by themselves. A notion passed through Tsuna's head, that it might have reflected the Agency's odd naming sense.

It was warm inside, for soon Tsuna found herself unwrapping her scarf from her neck. Two sofas were placed in perfect symmetry, a dark, plastic coffee table placed between them. Behind one of the sofas was a counter, a single laptop placed on it. Otherwise, the place was spotless and endearingly plain.

"Excuse me!" Tsuna called again, hoping for another response. Perhaps, just perhaps the owner had meant the shop to be closed, but forgot to lock the door. But to leave such an expensive apparatus lying about – if that were true, the owner had to be at the very least, dull in her head. It all seemed to click; from the odd name to the odd entrance, it would have been quite possible that her possible employer was eccentric.

"Ha-hi!" a voice shouted from above, the sound of footsteps storming at a fast speed, like rumbling thunder, getting loud and louder. "Haru is here! Haru is here! Please wait!"

The person to be known as Haru hopped off the second last landing, huffing and puffing.

"P-perfect!" she panted, before setting her gaze on Tsuna. "Ah! A cute guest today! B-but, I'm afraid we're low on manpower, so if you're hiring a day maid, we can't possibly accommodate you!"

Haru now walked behind the counter, sitting on the little stool that hid behind it.

"N-no! I'm here to apply for the job. I saw it on the poster – " Tsuna said, pointing towards the door. Haru's face seemed to brighten, and then dim a bit as she put on a small frown, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. As if contemplating something, she placed her head between her thumb and forefinger, to create a "thinking pose".

"We have pretty high standards here though. All our customers are high-profile. They live in mansions and expensive apartments – I'll need to put you on a trial," Haru said, looking back up at Tsuna. Tsuna was dumbfounded – one would not have known from the simple layout of the shop.

"Oh. Then...then I should leave. Y-you'll probably not want someone like me," she said dejectedly. Her shoulders drooped a bit as her hands began reworking her scarf, turning and preparing to leave.

"No! Why don't you give it a try? Haru thinks that you look quite the part for the job – she just wants to ascertain if you can do it! If you can't, then Haru will put you under a special training program. Besides – "she reached underneath the counter and pulled out a pretty Victorian styled maid dress – "Haru thinks you would look great in our uniform!"

Tsuna's eyes widened in disbelief. She could not trust her ears.

"Come again?"

"Haru says you're hired! I mean, on trial! Come back tomorrow and I will have some tests to confirm your cleaning skills!"

* * *

**A/N: **Alright, I guess this would be one of the first long-term story-writing projects I'll be embarking on, and uh, the first long-term fan fiction I guess. Right, so I'd really appreciate feedback on this - personally I find the writing to be a bit rushed, but I'm trying to improve on it. It's only been read through once, so I'll apologise for any grammatical mistakes in advance, it would be nice to let me know about them too.

Oh, and, this will be partial slice of life and...

Well, I'll leave it up to you to decide what it is as I go on.

(Thank you for reading!)

One more thing; if there are any questions pertaining to the plot, I most likely won't answer it. You'll find out why.

**One bloody huge edit: I admit - I screwed up, big time. I counted wrongly and the 22nd century only starts in 2101 I typed in the date wrong for the first chapter, and then I don't know how I did it consequently for 9 chapters. But it's too late, because the dates are already down (those are actual dates for the year 2100) and written in the story. So I'm changing the summary and doing minor edits to chapter 1. There shouldn't be any hindrance to the storyline though. Sorry!**


	2. Chapter 2: For Hire

**Chapter 2: For Hire**

* * *

**0800 hrs, January 2, Year 2100**

There was a cheerful bounce with each step Tsuna took. She could not believe it – she had actually gotten a job! Or at least, she was on trial. Now all she had to do was to pass some silly test and she would be hired! A loud honk from behind sounded, jolting her from her happy daydream. She quickly scooted further into the sidewalk, despite the fact that the rude honking was not intended for her, but more for the purposes of showing one's impatience and rage of having to be stuck in a large traffic jam on the way to work.

The bus-stop was chock full with commuters too, tapping their boots and looking at their watches every few seconds. Having a small frame, Tsuna managed to squeeze in between the people, towards the side of the road. Soon, the bus came. As it pulled up in front of her, she got pushed up as people shoved, desperately trying to get on the vehicle. It was already a quarter past eight; many would be late if they were unable to get on board – especially with the morning rush. People were soon packed like sardines in the bus, and Tsuna, poor, small and frail Tsuna, was crushed between a sweaty jogger and a lady smelling of highly intoxicating perfume.

"Toilet freshener," she muttered to herself, little hands grasping desperately to the railing as the bus jolted and jerked at each intersection and traffic light.

Finally, the bus teetered to her stop. Tsuna had to struggle to get past everyone, almost tripping over as she wedged herself out of a pair of oversized twins. She breathed in the slightly fresher air, sighing and half-skipping to _Haru Haru's Maid Dispatchment Agency. _

* * *

"Good morning! Miss Miura?" Tsuna called out, poking her head in to the door, as if taking precaution in case Miss Miura were to jump in her face and give her a big sloppy kiss. All she found was an empty room – the only audible sounds were that of the heater buzzing and each tick of the clock. After confirming her safety, she stepped in slowly on her tip-toes, closing the door as stealthily as possible. Not quite – she had forgotten about the bell attached to it.

"TSUNA-KUN!" A savage cry could be heard before Tsuna felt herself crushed into the wall, Haru with her arms around her body, squeezing it tightly. She rubbed her cheek against Tsuna's icy face. Tsuna only said what anyone could have come up with in such a situation – a string of garbled speech.

"Gwarh?"

Haru suddenly froze, as if having had an epiphany.

"Ah! I'm so sorry! I'm really attached to cute things, ehe!" she said sheepishly, before unwrapping her arms. Tsuna's knees felt wobbly, and they gave way – she collapsed to the ground.

"It-it's no problem. None at all, no, no – "she muttered, cross-eyed. Her hands clutched her chest tightly, as if she had just suffered a heart attack. "I-I think I see the light. Yeah, that's what..." her voice trailed off.

"Live! Tsuna-kun! Don't die!" Haru articulated dramatically. She kneeled by Tsuna's limp body, rubbing her eyes and sobbing, pretending to cry. "Don't die on me!"

"Promise me one thing," Tsuna said, her voice hoarse.

"Yes! Tell what you want! I'll do anything! I'll – " Haru was cut off with the ringing of the door's bell.

"Oya, what an interesting scene we have here," a deep voice said fluidly. Tsuna looked up, only to face mismatched yet uniformly amused eyes and a smirking face. "You know, I was reading an article on Lesbianism in Ero –" he tried to continue, but was cut off.

"Ha-hi! Mukuro-san! It's nothing like that!" Haru got up immediately, dusting off her jeans.

"Kufufu, I'm _very _sure it was nothing of that sort," he grinned. The man, Mukuro, had a hairstyle that looked somewhat like Tsuna's, except it was an odd shade of black – Tsuna could almost swear it looked bluish. It also strangely looked like a pineapple, with the little clump of hair at the back of his head that spiked up. He had odd-looking eyes as well – an unnatural colour, red, and the other, a dark shade of blue. He looked foreign, and all in all, Tsuna thought, he looked _too _handsome.

Haru just pouted, shaking her head so vigorously that strands of her dark brown hair came undone, and she looked rather unkempt. Reaching a hand out to help Tsuna up, she soon returned to her business-like tone.

"So, what can I do for you? You rowdy boys scared away another one of my maids again, didn't you?"

"I don't know. Maybe. Give me a cup of tea and we'll talk over it. I'd like some Darjeeling, please," Mukuro said as he stalked over to the sofas.

"Ha-hi! This is not a tea house! You've come to the wrong place if you want to drink tea!" Haru's arms were now akimbo, eyes flashing with great distaste.

"Well, then get the midget over there to do it," he said, now comfortably seated, his arms sprawled across the armrest.

"Don't treat my cute little Tsuna like a maid!" Haru plopped down on the sofa opposite him.

"I'm pretty sure she came here to apply for such a job anyway, looking at her...clothing," his nose wrinkled as he said so. Tsuna stood at the side, veins popping from the left of her temple. At the same time, she felt like crying – did she honestly smell that bad? She knew that she looked horrendous, but there was no reason to snob her! Stupid, stupid _rich and good-looking_ snob! Life was so unfair!

_Tsuna, Tsuna, if there's anything that has gotten into your brain, it's definitely the fact that life could never be fair! _Tsuna berated herself.

"I'll go get your tea," she said icily.

"Ha-hi! There's no need to entertain this rude man, Tsuna-kun! Just wait at the side and I'll task you with your trial after I deal with _him_," Haru said, adding a tone of insult at the back of her sentence.

"It's alright," Tsuna turned on her heels, walking into the corridor before Haru could protest any further.

* * *

Tsuna, for the sake of her life, could not even find the kitchen in such a small building. It had taken her a few turns, a couple of rounds and passing by the restrooms three times before she found it. Once she did, she immediately set to work, trying to remember off the top of her mind how she used to prepare tea for Reborn. It had been quite a long while since she handled such expensive tea leaves (or at least, she could see from the type – it was the whole leaf type!), but the constant nagging, or less nicely put, torturing, from Reborn had the method of brewing the most delicious tea drilled into her head.

Carrying a tray of hot tea, Tsuna carefully made her way back to the front of the store. The aroma was strong and nice – just the way she had always served it to Reborn.

"But Mukuro-san! I don't have any more maids for hire! You- you and the rest have scared off all of them. Almost every single one has gone to your silly mansion and come back crying, saying that they quit! And those who didn't were so traumatised; they refuse to go back ever again! In fact, you people are the sole reason that we are on such low manpower!"

"It's not my fault they don't respect our privacy," Mukuro sniffed.

Tsuna decided to disregard their conversation, striding up to the coffee table and kneeling down, setting the tea cups down elegantly. She carefully poured the tea into two cups, before placing them before Haru and Mukuro.

"Enjoy," she muttered, picking the tray up again to place it on the counter.

"Ah, Tsuna-kun! I didn't hear you coming. Thank you!" Haru said, as she picked up the tea cup. Mukuro already had the cup in hand, preparing to take a small sip of it.

"Ha-hi! This is wonderful, Tsuna-kun! I've never tasted such good tea before!" Haru smiled, turning to Tsuna.

"Ah – it's just the way I've been brought up, you see. My guardian – Reborn – was quite the Spartan," she grinned sheepishly, shuffling her hair with her hands. She was happy to be acknowledged for once in her life.

Mukuro raised a brow at the mention of Reborn, pupils narrowing and mouth curved into a slight frown; such an emotion flashed across his face for a brief second, before the sly grin returned. Tsuna though, was sharp at catching emotions.

"Is there anything wrong, Mukuro-san?"

"Oh, no, no, nothing at all," he smiled, before turning back to Haru.

"So, Miss Miura. What do you suggest?"

"I really don't have anyone else for hire anymore!" she said, frustrated at Mukuro's stubbornness.

"Well, there is one down here, isn't there?" he said, motioning in Tsuna's direction.

"M-me?" Tsuna was stunned.

"You're disallowed to send the new-comers into shock and distress, Mukuro-san!" Haru objected, placing the tea cup back on the table. "And besides, I haven't tested her abilities yet! Aren't you people very particular about that?"

"There are two things I only care about," Mukuro raised two of his fingers. "One, good tea, and two, privacy. I don't care about what the rest think."

Haru looked between Tsuna and Mukuro. Tsuna looked beyond shocked – she looked traumatised and highly disturbed – it was evident from her slack jaws and wide eyes, which looked as though tears were going to spill from them at any given moment.

"So?"

Haru then looked down. "Tsu-Tsuna-kun?

Tsuna was already weighing the pros and cons in her head. One part of her wanted to jump off the thirtieth floor of a building, but the other urged her to accept the offer. After all, she desperately needed money – she was already three months behind her rent. Accepting the work meant money, and money meant that she could afford to pay the landlady and eat proper meals, or get new clothes. She scrunched up her fists in determination.

"I'll...I'll do it!" she said, pinching her eyes shut.

"Fantastic, great!" Mukuro said, snapping his fingers. He drank the last of his tea and got up. "Well then, make sure that you're ready by tomorrow morning. I'll be coming around at nine o' clock sharp to pick you up – I'm on a tight schedule, so if you're late, you're fired."

He opened the door, but before he left the shop, he turned his head back. "I'll see you tomorrow then, midget." And so he took his leave.

Haru sighed, shoulders drooping slightly. Then, turning back up to look at Tsuna, she asked, "Well, Tsuna-kun... I guess I'll have to hire you temporarily since you took up Mukuro's job. You'll be there until six, every day."

"Y-yes. I'm sorry for agreeing without asking you, Miss Miura!"

Haru just smiled. "It's alright, I guess this can be the trial then! If you manage to work there for more than a month, I'll hire you completely! But there's one thing I must ask – do you have any anomalies in your mental or physical health? It can be quite hard working in that mansion, so I'll have to make sure beforehand that you aren't going to suffer from it..." her voice trailed off.

Tsuna frowned.

"Well, I am a synaesthete, but that shouldn't hinder my work much," she muttered. She was wondering if to go on.

"And...Well, um..." she looked down at her feet. "I've had two fainting incidents since my birthday last year. Bu-but I think it's due to malnutrition! I mean, I'm poor, so I have very little to eat."

"You do look scrawny," Haru nodded and agreed, moving behind the counter to switch the laptop on. "I think I'll have to make sure you start eating healthy from tomorrow, so that problem's that. Alright! Come over here so I can record your personal details."

As Tsuna was about to continue, she was cut off by Haru. Tsuna exhaled deeply, walking towards her.

_Mentally...I guess she need not know. It might affect my chances at the job, anyway. I'll just keep it to myself until she asks._ At that time, Tsuna had a sudden scene flash in her mind; that of a young boy standing under the cherry tree that she regularly visited. She could see his silhouette, but nothing more. Tsuna tried to make out the clothes the boy wore, his hair colour and his eyes, only to fail. It was not the first time such a scene popped up in her mind – but each time she tried to remember, she could feel something resonate within her chest; her heart pumped harder with each thought of _that_. She had tried to shove it in a box and lock it – throwing it down the deep ocean of her memories – but that did not prevent it from resurfacing sometimes.

"Come!" Tsuna snapped back to reality as Haru beckoned for her to go to the table.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I was just thinking," Tsuna scurried over to her side.

"Hm?"

"Oh, no, it's nothing."

"Okay!" Haru shrugged it off and went back to the screen.

***

The day ended with Tsuna being stuffed into the maid costume at least ten times before she got it on right. _Why the heck must I wear this? It's going to be nothing but an obstruction to my work! _Tsuna had mentally screamed – which was also about when she found out that Haru enjoyed _cosplay _a lot, and the maids at the agency were subjected to her antics incredibly often.

She flopped down onto her bed, cold and utterly exhausted. She would need to get all the sleep she could – her first day was going to be very, very tiring.

* * *

**A/N: **Thank you for the reviews, favourites and alerts!

Apologies in advance for any discrepancies or errors, I kind of wrote it under strict time constraints of lunch time and free periods at school, and I proofread it half-asleep, so yeah. Please do notify me if you should spot any - I love receiving constructive criticism and feedback!

Again, thank you for reading!

Extra notes:

"-kun" suffix can be used for females too (pet names), so don't misunderstand me on this part.


	3. Chapter 3: Highly Subtextual

**Chapter 3: Highly Subtextual**

* * *

**0830 hrs, January 3, Year 2100**

"Ah – ah! Ouch! Miss Miura, can you be gentler?" Tsuna cried, her fists clenching so tight her knuckles turned white.

"Bear with it a while more!" Haru replied.

"Bu-but! It's too tight! I can't breathe!"

"How can anything be tight on you? You're so small! There, I'm done!"

Tsuna sucked in her stomach. Haru had taken the liberty to call her over early, give her a nice hot bath, breakfast and dress her up nicely before she went for work. Tsuna thought that she was very kind – but what she did not know was that Mukuro had requested it; they did not need a maid who smelt like a garbage dump around the house.

The maid costume Tsuna wore was very simple – just a black dress that touched her ankles and a white frilly apron. On her head was a nice, floral hairpiece. However, Haru had also tightened the ribbon that held the apron in place far too much – she was having some difficulties in breathing.

"Hah! You look very cute, Tsuna-kun!" Tsuna blushed a bit, looking down at her uniform. She placed her hands behind her back, secretly loosening the ribbon a bit.

"R-really?"

"Yes! But there's one problem. Do you have a coat you can wear over it?"

"Ah, no…" Tsuna suddenly realized. Why had she not noticed before? Of course – it was really cold outside; the streets were covered in a blanket of snow, and the weather report said that temperatures would hit sub-zero in the evening! To add to the insult, she had to go home herself – Mukuro would only pick her up once so she could figure out how to travel, and since her workplace was on the far end of the city, where the rich people lived; her home was very far away indeed.

"Ha-hi! Then, Haru will lend you one, but please bring your own tomorrow!"

"B-but I – " Tsuna was interrupted by a loud honk outside.

"Mukuro-san is outside now! Oh," Haru scuttled about the room, opening a secret compartment in the wall. It was actually a wardrobe stuffed with an incredible number of costumes. She bent down, pulled out a thick, pink winter jacket and tossed it to Tsuna. "Here!"

"Oof!" Tsuna grunted as the lump of cloth landed in her arms.

"Now, now – put it on and go! Mukuro-san is an impatient one!"

"O-okay!" Tsuna did as she was told, rushing out of the store. The first thing she saw was a very expensive, extremely over-the-top car. Tsuna squealed in fear – the thought of being able to sit in such an exorbitant vehicle; the very thought of her scrawny body seated on plush velvet – it scared her a bit.

It seemed the driver could not wait any longer, the car door opening. Tsuna stood, frozen by both the weather and her thoughts, staring as each foot settled itself on the pavement. She watched as Mukuro slowly got up, and then –

"Ahaha! Are you the new maid?" A foolish chuckle came from behind the door.

_That's incredibly out of character! Out of context! No- no! This is wrong! Very wrong! _Tsuna could feel an imaginary drop of sweat crawling down the side of her face. Apparently, Mukuro had turned into an amazingly tall, spiky black haired Japanese man. His heterochromic eyes changed into a light shade of brown; the lower right side of his chin had a small, faded scar. Had he gotten a plastic surgery and a personality reformat overnight?

"Mu-mu-mu – " Tsuna stuttered.

"Mu? You like Mutsu apples too? I find them very delicious! Ahaha!" he chuckled. "Come, come! There's much to show you, much to learn! We have to get back early before Gokudera sets his room on fire again."

"N-no! Where's Mukuro?"

"Oh, him? He's kind of busy today, so he couldn't afford to pick you up. I volunteered since I was free. The name's Yamamoto, by the way! Yamamoto Takeshi." He bent down and with squinted eyes, observed her face, as if scrutinizing every nook and cranny.

"You…"

"M-me? What about me? Is there something on my face?" Tsuna asked, conscious of the way she appeared.

"No, it's nothing," his tone was low and severe, but he switched back to his happy-go-lucky voice almost immediately. "Come on then, let us get going!" He offered a hand, which Tsuna declined. Although he was being gentlemanly, she was only but a lowly maid. Climbing into the seat beside his, she waited for him to ignite the engine while she put on her seatbelt, then looked out of the window and played with her fingers.

The car journey consisted of Yamamoto talking a lot, Tsuna giving back one-worded answers and tapping her boots lightly on the matting of the car. It was very awkward indeed, despite the kind man's attempts at loosening her up – although it had a largely opposite effect – it made her more nervous than she had ever been before.

She looked out of the window, because looking at Yamamoto would have unnerved her beyond anything. The view outside the window was not very interesting, just tall and strict buildings on either side, passing by again and again. Instead, as Tsuna half-heartedly listened to Yamamoto blabber on, she paid attention to the taste of his voice. Light and sweet it seemed, like milk coffee; but it held a tint of bitterness.

_That certainly doesn't match his personality at all. _She thought, putting a finger to her chin. Then she remembered the faint scar on his chin – perhaps he had gone through something bad in his life? Tsuna could not speculate beyond that.

Tsuna was exceptional at reading the personalities of human beings, inferring about their past experiences – hyper intuition, Reborn had put it – but he said that it was partially due to her extra-sensory abilities. Tsuna, however, being the butt-monkey and social outcast, had few opportunities to use such a skill.

"Oh, yeah! I haven't asked you this yet, silly me! What's your name?"

Tsuna was once again jolted out of her deep thoughts at being directly addressed.

"Me? Uh, S-Sawada Tsuna," she replied. She could have sworn she saw Yamamoto's jaw move a bit, as though he was muttering something under his breath, but she could not hear him. She turned back to look out of the car when Yamamoto began to babble again, and that was how the whole journey went.

* * *

The first thing Tsuna noticed as they entered through a small gate into the compound was the foliage, or the lack thereof since it was winter. She stared in wonder as the car slowly made its way down the slightly twisted path. She could not, however, see any signs of the mansion.

"We're here!" Yamamoto exclaimed cheerfully as he pulled into a garage. There were six equally expensive cars – Tsuna got the impression that rich people were all so indulgent. She clambered out of the car, closing the door carefully and slowly, in case she were to damage the precious door with her careless fingers.

There was a maid scurrying about a red one, scrubbing it clean of all the dirt accumulated in the city. As soon as she heard Yamamoto's presence, she spun around with a polite bow and greeted him. Yamamoto just waved his hand back.

"There's no need to bow! Ahaha!" he turned around to face Tsuna. "Anyway, we actually entered from the back gate of the mansion, so we can walk through the garden's stone path back to the front. I can show you the basic layout of the backyard while I'm at it, so that'll be great! I'll have to show you around the mansion too – you'll be assigned to certain rooms I suppose. Come on, let's get going!"

He started off in big strides, so much so that Tsuna had trouble catching up since her legs where thin, powerless and short. As soon as they left the garage, a beautiful view greeted her eyes. She could not help but to gasp in amazement. There were bushes on either side of the path, intricately styled lampposts in between each bush. The patch of land that stretched wide and vast was covered in snow, trees on both sides of the stone path bare as ever. It made lifelessness look almost majestic.

Yamamoto kept silent as he looked up into the murky sky, allowing Tsuna to take in the scenery. It was highly uncharacteristic; she would have thought that he would continue to talk more, given his bubbly personality – but his eyes seemed to hold a glint of longing, as though he was reminiscing something bittersweet. It was as if the landscape was a painted memory to Yamamoto.

After about five minutes of walking, they found themselves in a wooden shelter – they had decided to seek a quick respite from the harsh and unbearable coldness. It also incidentally seemed to be one of the locations that Tsuna would be taking care of.

The shelter was cosy and warm, looking a lot like a barn. There was hay scattered about, and the wooden walls made it look nice and homely. Perhaps there was a cow in here? Tsuna snorted.

The moment Yamamoto stepped in and hung up his coat, a young Akita pup ran up to him, alongside a tiny swallow, which flew up and settled on his head. He broke a wide, child-like grin, bending down and patting the head of the dog lovingly.

"This is called the 'Pet Shelter'! It's a bit far off the main building though. This is one of the rooms you'll be in-charge of!" he exclaimed excitedly, now feeding the swallow. "It's a nice and warm place – all of us here kind of keep pets. I think that this is one of the best places to unwind after a harsh day of work. There, there, Jirou…" his voice trailed off as he got distracted by the Akita again.

_Bad naming sense! It's too bad a naming sense to be legal, Yamamoto-san! _Her mind seemed to be screaming at her.

"Do you like animals?" he suddenly asked.

"Yes! I really, really love them a lot!"

"I know, right? It's so nice to just sit and pat their heads – simple, simple! Life is too complicated for my brain to process!"

_No! Don't say that! That is extremely saddening to know!_

"I agree! Your mind probably moves at one kilometer per hour! I mean, I really like being in the company of pets!"

"You know, you'll enjoy their company more if you didn't just shy away in the corner over there!" Yamamoto said, turning around. True to his words, Tsuna had curled herself into a ball at the corner of the shelter, away from the animals. Her body was shaking and her eyes wide open – she was trying to avoid the very fatal prickles of –

"Ah, it's Hibari's hedgehog!"

He went over and picked it up, just in time to save Tsuna's life from the dangerous, teensy animal. When he did, she got back up on her feet again, although her knees quivered so much, they had almost given way.

"Haha! It's alright, it won't hurt you!"

"Yeah! Uh, right! I-I'm sure it won't! Very," her voice was jittery and squeaky, far softer than she would have used in a normal conversation. The truth was that she was highly afraid of them animals. There was a time when she was fifteen; she had been scared silly by a small Chihuahua who had just wanted to play with her.

_Ah, I can feel my soul leaking out of me now… Do I really have to work here? Hang in there, Tsuna…_

"Anyway, a short introduction to the animals! This is Jirou – " he again squatted down to pat the head of the puppy. "Kojirou – " he raised his finger to allow the swallow to settle on it. He then raised his other palm, on which the hedgehog was curled around, comfortable and protected.

"I think Hibari calls this Roll. But we all like to call it 'Bari-rat' since he has a bird called Hibird. That one hangs around him almost all the time though."

_Someone with equally bad naming sense appears! _

Yamamoto walked further in, whistling a lilting tune. Suddenly, an owl swooped down from the dark corner of the shed – it had been perched there, hiding from human eyes. Hooting, it flew in a circle before landing on a wooden railing next to Tsuna.

"Hiek!" she squealed, taking a step back only to fall over and land with a hard thump on the floor.

"O-ow…"

"Ah, Sawada! Are you okay?" Yamamoto said quickly, as he turned around. Tsuna saw a young leopard cub in his arms, purring softly and rubbing it's head against his shirt. Wait –

"A leopard!?" Tsuna shrieked loudly. At that moment, a kangaroo jumped out too. Tsuna immediately scooted back, scared by the sudden appearance of such strange animals.

_What is this? What sort of pets do they keep!?_

It seemed as though her question was answered, when she could hear the heaving tapping of hooves against the dirt-covered floor. She swore that she could hear a distinct, low grunt that sounded as though it came from a bull.

"A BULL!?" she yelled, when the fierce looking creature came out from behind a wall. _Why, just why could they not have kept a cow instead?! In fact, why not just normal pets? _Tsuna was shocked beyond words, her mouth opening and closing, trying to say something, anything, but failed. So Tsuna did what she did best in situations like this.

She fainted.

* * *

**A/N: **Okay, so, just a reply to Yumi-chan, or anyone else wondering;

I didn't come up with the term "synesthesia", so I wouldn't really explain what it is in the story. I'm not sure how I would explain this, so I'll say the best bet would be to Google it. Sorry. And once you've looked up what it means, I'm guessing you won't need the answer to whether normal people see in shades of grey, to which the answer is no. It's just an effect.

On another note; I'm sure you guys will be wondering if there are any pairings or stuff in here. Yes, there will be a pairing with Tsuna. I've already decided on it, but I'm going to be a meanie and not disclose it.

Thanks for reading!

**Edit: **Sorry! Microsoft Word somehow deleted one of the sentences in here - my tablet's touchpad kind of really sucks, so I get these sort of stupid errors often. Greatest apologies if you were wondering how someone sitting down could fall on her butt again. While I'm here, I'm afraid that I won't be able to update for about 2 weeks - I have tests and presentations, and Chinese New Year is coming up too. However, chapter 4 is halfway written, so I *might* be able to get it up by Sunday or Monday, depending on how much time I'm able to squeeze in. Heck, maybe even Saturday. If not, I think I might do multiple uploads after writing the chapters bit by bit.

**Edit 2: **Sorry. Again. I just realised I got the date on top wrong - it is 3rd January, 2100. Greatest, greatest apologies if you got confused!


	4. Chapter 4: Burning the Bridge

**Chapter 4: Burning the Bridge**

* * *

**1230 hrs, Sunday; January 3, Year 2100**

"_Hibari! You – you! How could you just leave like that on New Year's eve?" _A muffled voice could be heard from behind the thick wooden door. It was very acid, vexation and aggravation dripping in every loudly enunciated syllable.

"_I do what I want,"_ someone else replied. His voice was unlike the other man's– it was collected and indifferent. He seemed to have said what he wanted to say, for footsteps were heard soon after, and she stopped listening; only opening her eyes slowly and with care.

Her head throbbed lightly. Sitting up and rubbing her temples in soft, round circles, she took a moment before realizing that she was on plush velvet. Her apron was placed on the coffee table in front of her seat, neatly folded, along with Miss Miura's coat.

"Ah!" she cried loudly, before raising both her palms to cover her mouth. As she took in a deep, slow breath, she took in her surroundings as well.

The room she was in was small and ordinary, only having a window on one side and the door parallel to it. Another table was placed up against the cream-coloured walls, a little coffee making machine on it, as well as several cups, a rack of teabags and a hot water dispenser. A shelf was placed above the table, carrying a bottle of tea leaves and a few rolls of paper towels. A teapot sat in its tray, steam wafting in elegant swirls around the air.

"Oh – oh! Don't get up yet, please don't! I'll – " a high-pitched accented voice wailed. "I-Pin will take care of this! Please, please, lie down and relax. If you're worried about work, you're not the only one who fainted on the first day! They understand!"

Before she could turn around to see who spoke, Tsuna felt a pair of small hands pushing her shoulders down.

"Gah!"

Before she knew it, she was pushed back into the soft cushions, a shadow looming over her face. The light had silhouetted the stranger's features, and Tsuna soon found herself with eyes squinted, trying to make out the face.

"You're very pale! Look, I just got off for lunch. Look, I've brought some green tea and dumplings. Let's eat together!"

_If you want me to eat lunch with you, don't push me down again!_

"Ah, th-thank you. Where's Yamamoto-san? Did he bring me here? " Tsuna offered a shaky smile before launching into a few of the thousand questions she held in her mind. The peculiar young girl that had settled herself adjacent to Tsuna seemed to redden up a bit, instead choosing to fiddle with her dark pigtails. Judging by her looks, Tsuna could only tell that she seemed only in her adolescence – she was probably as young as fourteen or fifteen. She was appalled; such a young girl was already working? As she observed the other maid a little further, she realized that this young teenager was also the same person back at the garage.

"Yes, yes, Master Yamamoto b-brought you here!" she clamped her eyes shut, before adding in undertone. "He-he carried you bridal style!"

"What?" Tsuna was now up, tilting her head in confusion.

"A-anyway! Let's eat! Forget that for now," the maid said, taking two boxes out of a plastic bag. She then got up and went to the table, picking up two simple Japanese-styled tea cups from the cup tray.

"By the way, what's your name? I'm I-pin," she asked as she carried the tray back to the coffee table.

"Oh. I'm Sawada. Sawada Tsuna," she answered, watching as I-pin poured the tea.

"Nice to meet you! Master Yamamoto told me to show you around the house and teach you a few things once you woke up. Oh, and don't tell him I call him 'Master', because he really dislikes being called like such," she smiled.

"Ah…I'll take note of that."

Both Tsuna and I-pin were biting into their dumplings now. Tsuna was surprised, for it was very delicious despite the simple ingredients inside it. She could feel its warmth crawl down her throat and settle in her stomach, and warmth in her chest, like a small light, glowing softly and gently. She flushed a bit.

"It's good… So many gentle feelings…" she whispered to herself slowly, eying the dumpling in her chopsticks with awe.

I-pin nodded her head eagerly. Her smile grew wider and her eyes softer, as though she were about to talk about someone near and dear. A faint pink glow was on her cheeks.

"Yes, my master, Fong, taught me how to make these dumplings. I like to make them for lunch every day. I'm really glad that you've received the feelings I put into them!" she turned and looked down. "After all, Master said that the most important part is to put feelings into them, so they'll taste good. But…no one has really realized that. I've made them for many others, they just smile and say it's nice, then go on their way again. It would be nice if…if people just started savouring things again," she said wistfully.

"So…" she turned back to Tsuna. "Thank you very much!" Her eyes were glistening now, gratefulness reflected in her dark brown pupils.

Tsuna just returned her warmth in the form of a genial smile.

* * *

After the two had settled their lunch, Tsuna put on her apron again, dusting off her skirt and rearranging her hair.

"S-so, what are we going to do now?" she asked, unsure. She knew for one that she had to look after the pets, but surely there were other things she would be tasked to do.

"I told you already! Master Yamamoto asked me to show you around the house, then teach you about certain rules we have here. It's big around, so you'll just be spending today getting used to everything. Although," I-pin scratched her chin sheepishly, eyebrows curling up and the side of her mouth twitching, "I think it will take a long time to get used to the people living here."

"Eh?"

The pair was now walking down a narrow corridor, passing by various scurrying maids who took but a mere glance at Tsuna before bustling to their destination. Tsuna noticed that all the maids seemed dissimilar to her– their uniforms were slightly different, of a dark brown colour instead of the black which she wore. But then, it was always not about them being different, but it was about Tsuna not being the same. Again, Tsuna felt like an anomaly – but such a feeling was far from foreign to her. She slouched a bit more, feeling meeker as they walked out of the corridor and turned out into the main hallway.

"Let's just say, apart from Master Yamamoto and perhaps Lambo-san, you won't be fainting only once during your working time here. A lot of maids from your agency have run out of here crying, hehe," I-pin chuckled, slightly embarrassed.

"B-but why? What do they do here?"

"I guess I have to explain how things work here. See? Your uniform, although similar to mine in design, is of a different colour. The maids in dark brown dresses are directly employed by the Vongola Entertainment Company – they own this piece of land, and this building," she said, looking at Tsuna. She nodded slowly, confirming the comprehension of what I-pin had just said.

"Then why do they need to employ people from Miss Miura's agency?"

"Ah, I was just getting to that. You'll notice that you're the only one wearing black here. Which means you're tasked with the more personal chores," I-pin explained. "You'll be the only one allowed to enter the masters' rooms, whether to clean or deliver food, should they request it. You see, each one of them wish to lead more private lives, but it's really hard for them to clean their own rooms since they all lead very busy lives. So the higher ups decided to employ highly trained maids from an external agency, and only allow one to enter their rooms to clean up. Though, you're an exception. You're the first to come here without any prior training."

_Exceptions, exceptions, always exceptions._ Tsuna had grown up an exception, but of course she would be an exception now. Fate was cruel; she could not change what had been established of her since the beginning of time. She drew a long sigh, but I-pin noticed and immediately raised her hand, giving her a pat on the shoulder.

"It's a highly coveted position, you know! What a maid here wouldn't give to just have a glance at their rooms? Although – " she paused for awhile, "no one has ever been into Master Hibari's or Master Mukuro's rooms. They aren't allowed. Why the maids were sent out was because – because – they dared a peep inside. The more fortunate ones were on the receiving end of Master Gokudera's temper, but even that was enough to get them to quit. I-I don't really blame them though! They're always so busy, busy, busy. Don't you know what they work as?"

Tsuna shook her head. She was not that interested in their personal lives – all she wanted was to earn some money, and live till she died of old age. That was the only pathetic goal in her life. Why should she poke her nose into other people's businesses? They could be rich and good-looking, but what they did was of no relation to what she would be doing. The pair now stopped, right in front of a window overlooking the backyard. The sky was grey and overcast, sullen and dark. Little snow drops fluttered down, some landing on the glass, the rest joining the coat of snow that had formed over the window panes.

I-pin bent over, adding in a conspiratorial whisper.

"_The mafia. I heard they are into dark underground trades. Killing, murder –that's why they don't want many people to walk into their rooms. The maids that have dug up information they don't need to know have gone missing overnight. Missing…missing…missing… _"

"Boo!" she yelled loudly and suddenly.

"Wha – what! Wha! "

"Just kidding, just kidding! They're actually a group of musicians that the Vongola Entertainment Company are trying to put together to form a band. Don't you know? Project Vongola Guardians? Although they just call it Project Guardians. They're not quite well known yet, but their fame is spreading quickly. They make really good music! Surely you've heard of them!"

"Y-yeah, I have..."

I-pin looked at her, puzzled by the lack of reaction. She peered up at Tsuna for a short moment, before returning to her original position.

_Oh yeah, she did mention the Vongola Entertainment Company before. Tsuna, you're so stupid. So, so very stupid. How could I fall for that?! _Tsuna thought as she placed her palm across her face. She had the urge to bang her forehead on the wall now, but she decided to leave it for later. There was work to do.

* * *

By the end of the day, Tsuna and I-pin had done a lot of walking. Tsuna had learnt the basic outline of the entire mansion, where she was supposed to work and how to get about. She had also learnt a few rules of the mansion. Although they had spent the day on their feet walking around, they did not bump into any of the people who lived there, save the live-in maids. Tsuna had wanted to go meet Yamamoto to thank him again for picking her up and showing her around, but alas, he too was missing. It was evening, one could tell as the sky was a darker shade of grey now. Tsuna held a piece of paper in her hands, a list of notes that I-pin had kindly made for her. They both sat at the huge fountain in the back of the mansion, resting their tired feet for a while.

Tsuna unfolded the paper and spared it a glance, before putting it back into the coat pocket. She jerked her head up in sudden realization.

_Oh dear! I left my sweater at Miss Miura's. Oh well, I'll just have to collect it tomorrow. _She sighed again, cursing her muddle-headedness.

"So – " I-pin started in a sing-song voice, "how was it?"

"Ah, it was very interesting. It would have been nice to take a look at who these _masters _you talk about are. But since you mentioned they have a packed schedule…"

"Oh, yeah. They're probably recording at the Namimori branch of the Vongola Company too. You're really lucky not to have to deal with them on your first day though. I guess you'll meet most of them as time goes by."

Tsuna just nodded, turning her head up, staring at the dirty and polluted sky.

"Well! I best be leaving now. I have got school tomorrow."

"H-huh!?"

"Ah? I forgot to tell you! I only work here part-time! I'm just a student. I'll probably only see you the next weekend," she said, slinging her small bag pack over her shoulders, "so, good luck for tomorrow!" she turned, waving the back of her hand at Tsuna. She then walked at a quick pace, disappearing around the corner.

"B-bye…" Tsuna muttered to herself, before lifting herself up. No sound could be heard, none but the howls of the cold wind, the rustling of bushes and the cries of the crow flying overhead. It was dark and sad, Tsuna realized, as she stood in the middle of the desolated back yard that seemed to carry no life at all. The lights that surrounded the fountain came on, one by one, casting a dark shadow before her. From there, she could see the mansion lights coming on and maids scurrying to prepare the dinner table.

She turned back and stared at her feet as she walked away from the empty garden and begun her journey back home.

* * *

**A/N: **Nuts, I'm seriously muddle-headed. I put the date wrong for the previous chapter, and I didn't even check if I had accidentally removed a sentence, so here I offer my greatest apologies for those who've been confused by my hare-brained antics! (Maybe I should get a beta. I don't know yet. I really don't.)

Er, anyway, I did say it was either yesterday, today or tomorrow that I'd upload a new chapter, if not only after 2 weeks. But after rushing some homework, I squeezed in some time to write the chapter, so there you go! But I can't promise you a new chapter very soon. Sorry!

Anyway, thank you for all the reviews and whatnot! I really appreciate it. Look, here's a smiley. :)

And thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5: Maze

**Chapter 5: Maze of the Night**

* * *

**2100 hrs, Sunday; January 3, Year 2100**

The blinking of the lights seemed to mock Tsuna. She stood to the side; the roads crossed at many intersections, forming a complicated maze that she could not get out of. People buzzed by, huddling up to their warm scarves and thick coats, quickening their pace at the thought of hot chocolate and the warmth and comfort of their houses. Tsuna did the same – her arms crossed over her chest, shielding her from the harsh chill of the night wind.

"C-c-cold," she muttered, looking around.

Tsuna was lost.

She could not tell where she was, for she definitely was not near Namimori Central and certainly far from her home. Tsuna, being Tsuna, had taken the wrong bus that took her the wrong way – but she had only noticed when it was too late, and when she got off, the rows and rows of high-class boutiques and restaurants frightened the living soul out of her. Out of her panic, she quickly scurried up the crowded walkway, her common sense getting lost in this tangle of fear mixed with confusion.

Tsuna stood at the side, watching as people went by, having places to reach, destinations to go. She shook her head, trying to disperse the cloud of dust that had seemingly formed in her there, clenching her fists tightly. Her timidity barred her from going up to a random stranger to ask for directions; she was at loss of what to do. The wind blew again; its howl low and jeering. Tsuna sneezed, arms instinctively tightening around herself.

_Got to be brave, got to be brave, got to be – _she thought to herself, before pinching her eyes shut and making up her mind. She kept her eyes on the ground, taking slow and cautious steps back to the middle of the pathway.

_One step, two step, three – _she counted them slowly.

_Gwarh! _In her concentration, her head had met a wall, or rather, the back of a man who had been so unfortunately standing in her way. She whipped her head up, closed her eyes and bowed several times, not daring a look at the stranger whose personal space she had unwittingly violated.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm so – " she shouted profusely, before spinning on her heels and attempting to make a run for it. Before she could, she felt a warm hand on her shoulder, gently tugging her back.

_Hiek! I've screwed up so bad this time! He's going to kill me! He's going to kill me!_

"Sawada?" an enquiring and familiar voice questioned.

"Eh?" she slowly cranked her head back, looking up readily; it was a habit, for she had expected people to always be taller than her, to stand over her – it was her inferiority complex that had caused this reflex. Sure enough, the person who had spoken was definitely very tall. Tsuna found herself staring into dark sunglasses. She knew that the voice was of someone's she could recognize, but his name was hanging on the tip of her tongue. What was it? Was it Yamada? Or Yamato? Tsuna just stared for a few brief seconds more, but those seconds seemed to tick by slowly.

"Ah! Sawada! What are you doing here?" "Yamada" asked, a tone of confusion cleverly disguised in surprise.

"Ya-Ya-Yamamada-san?" Tsuna found herself spewing the wrong words. Her state of mind just became more tangled – beyond the point of being able to be unknotted and sorted out.

"Ahaha! It's Yamamoto, Yamamoto!" he chuckled casually, scratching the back of his head as he smiled her merrily. "What are you doing out so late at night walking like this?" Yamamoto proceeded to do a reenactment of Tsuna's funny walking stint, bending his head down and placing two hands near both sides of his head. It looked more like the reenactment of the bull in the "Pet Shelter", however.

_Embarrassing! Too embarrassing, Yamamoto-san! _

Luckily, Yamamoto only did this for a while more before standing back straight.

"So, what'cha doing out here? Got lost?"

Tsuna stood there, dumbfounded for a moment. She shook her head, opening her mouth to answer when she was abruptly, and rather rudely, disrupted.

"Oi! Yamamoto, what the hell are you doing?" a gruff sounding voice came from behind his back; it was a voice that Tsuna recognized to belong to the man shouting at "_Hibari" _that morning. He stepped out into her view. The first few things that Tsuna noticed about him was his slouched posture, hands tucked into the pockets of his jeans and unique sense of dressing. Accessories hung about every part of his black and red clothes; it something that not everyone could wear and look good in, but he managed to pull the image off flawlessly. His hair was a dull shade of grey, and his eyes were hidden behind a similar pair of shades that Yamamoto too was wearing. Tsuna could sniff out the angry feelings that he had seemed to hold within his very being; it followed him like a shadow, and would never leave his side – it could probably masquerade itself in the guise of a smile. The man however, was not smiling. He looked impatient, folding his arms and glaring at Tsuna. She suddenly felt ten times smaller.

"Who…who the hell is this?" his first word was hesitantly drawn out, before it switched drastically; he concluded in a scathing manner.

"Oh! Gokudera – she's the new personal day maid at the mansion. Just started today! See? Look at her clothes!"

"All I see is an expensive coat over a gaudy uniform. Cheh! Let's go!"

_Expensive? Eek! Miss Miura lent me an expensive coat? Oh- oh dear, what should I d-do, I didn't… _Tsuna launched into a debate with her own mind at hearing "Gokudera's" words.

"C'mon! We just finished dinner and we don't have anything to do _anyway. _I think she's lost though, right?" Yamamoto said, turning to the man and then back to Tsuna.

"Lost she is, alright. But read my lips. Do – I – look – like – I – care?"

Tsuna just stayed silent, too frozen to say anymore; she dared not to interrupt the argument that took place before her.

"Anyway! Gokudera here and I have enough time – we can afford to send you home! Isn't that great? Ahaha! Though you'll have to find out how to get back home, because the next time you might not be so lucky."

Tsuna looked down, fingering her skirt for a bit.

"Th-Thank you very – very much!" she said meekly. Yamamoto raised his hand, as though he wanted to pat Tsuna's head and tell her that it was alright, but he stopped himself in time.

"Well, let's go!" he said instead.

Gokudera, at that moment, grabbed Yamamoto's sleeve roughly.

"I never agreed! I say we just… leave her here!"

"Aw, c'mon, Gokudera! Wouldn't hurt, wouldn't hurt! Just think of it as a small car trip, how about that?" Yamamoto smiled sheepishly in his poor attempt to placate the grumpy young man.

"Hmph! F-fine! But it's not as if I want to go because of _you, _alright? You hear?"

_He actually managed to convince him! _

"Yes, yes! Loud and clear, loud and clear! Now, let's go!"

Gokudera released Yamamoto's arm and stormed off ahead of the two of them. Tsuna and Yamamoto stood side by side, looking at Gokudera's back as he walked off, further and further. Suddenly, he turned back.

"Oi! Are you two coming? I'll go off myself if you don't hurry!"

Yamamoto turned to Tsuna and gave her a gentle smile, before looking forward and waving an arm to Gokudera.

"Coming! Coming!"

* * *

The car trip was silent; an oppressive tension hung about the atmosphere of the car. Gokudera leaned back in his seat, staring out of the window as the lights flashed past them. Not even Yamamoto attempted to speak, keeping his eyes on the road and driving without a word. Tsuna squeezed her hands together, sitting up and trying to avoid as much contact – apart from her rear and legs – with the car as possible, as though her touch was poisonous, bacterial and dangerous.

She looked to and fro between Yamamoto and Gokudera. Gokudera's arm was now resting at the side, his head propped up on it. Both the men had taken off their sunglasses as soon as they reached the vehicle, but in the darkness, Tsuna couldn't see what Gokudera looked like, only the shadow of his back. From the side mirror, she could see a bit of his face; his angry demeanor had sunken beneath – only the view of the world reflected in his eyes.

She then looked to Yamamoto. He carried his usual boyish grin, but something in his eyes struck her as odd. It was not as though he were truly happy all the time; it was a fake personality that deftly hid what he was truly feeling. Tsuna frowned a bit, but decided that she just should not care. She convinced herself that she had nothing to do with whatever was on his mind, because truly, she did not. Although slightly disturbed at the oddity of Yamamoto's behavior, she forced herself to look out of the window as with what Gokudera was doing, distracting herself with the view that flew past as the car moved along at a high speed.

The car trip was long – or at least, it felt long, but Tsuna could not help to feel her heart flip a little when the vehicle went to an abrupt halt and Yamamoto turned back, smiling at her.

"Okay! We're here!"

"Ah! Thank you! Thank you for sending me back!" Tsuna said, bowing her head. She reached out to open the car door, stepping back out into the coldness. Yamamoto stared out of the side of the car for awhile, before opening the door too and getting out with her.

"Hey, Gokudera, stay here. I'll escort her back – her apartment is one street down," he told the silent man cheerfully, before slamming the door shut.

"E-eh! There's no need to do that, no need at all!"

"Nonsense! It's so dark out here, I think it's better that I escort a young lady like you. The streets are deserted and it's dangerous, after all. Look!"

Tsuna looked. Indeed, the street was empty and the lampposts on either side were off, if not broken and flickering on and off at random intervals.

"I can look after my-myself. Really…" Tsuna's mind thought otherwise, for seeing the empty street made her feel rather afraid. The darkness was menacing and full of uncertainty. It was too late however – Yamamoto had insisted. He began walking down the uneven footpath. She had no choice but to sigh and follow. She jogged quickly up to him, afraid that he would leave her behind, although she knew somewhere in her heart that he definitely would not.

Yamamoto was the first to break the silence between them.

"So, how was your first day at work? I-pin showed you around, right?"

Tsuna gave a small nod.

"Ahaha, I'm really sorry for not being able to show you around! I had something crop up suddenly, so I had to head out. And, sorry about the incident at the Pet Shelter too – well, all our new personal maids normally faint when they see the type of animals we keep though!"

"A-ah! Ha…aha," she laughed nervously in response to what he said. Tsuna was not looking forward to looking after animals – she had not even seen it in her job description! She could make tea, she could wash a dozen loads of laundry, she could clean ten rooms but one thing she would have never done would be to look after animals.

Soon enough, they reached the entrance of her rundown apartment. Yamamoto waited until she whipped out her keys and opened the door before saying his final words and a last "goodbye".

"So! You'll be starting work _for real _tomorrow! Excited?"

Tsuna stood at the door arch, with a bewildered expression gracing her face. He noticed this and started laughing, waving his hand down.

"Don't be too afraid – it's not that bad!" he turned around finally, walking back to where they came from.

"See ya!"

"B-bye!"

* * *

Gokudera was still wordlessly sitting in the car when Yamamoto returned. It seemed as though he had not budged a bit at all, like a statue. Yamamoto climbed back into the driver's seat, and the both of them sat without saying anything, just listening to the incessant chirping of the crickets. And then, Yamamoto, with a loud thump, slammed his forehead against the steering wheel, clutching its sides tightly.

Gokudera rose from his position and turned to Yamamoto slowly.

"Don't be deceived," he said simply, emotionlessly.

"I know," Yamamoto still held a grin, but rather than the usually genial vibes that he gave off, it was sardonic in nature.

"Don't be deceived," Gokudera stated once more. "She's – "

"I know."

"She 's – "

" – dead."

* * *

**A/N: **Yay. Two weeks for schmuck, I managed to study a lot. So early upload!

Anyway, I feel as though I have some clarifications to make: Although I said I have a pairing in mind for the story, it will be mainly _All/27 _because that was what I thought off when I started. Yeah.

Thanks for reading and reviewing!


	6. Chapter 6: Rewind

**Chapter 6: Rewind**

* * *

**0700 hrs, Monday; January 4, Year 2100**

"Here, Miss Miura. I'm sorry, so sorry!" Tsuna muttered the words quickly. She pulled out the carefully folded coat from within her bag, bowing as she passed it to Miss Miura.

"Eh? It's really no problem, don't worry about it! Did you remember to bring your own coat today, though?" Tsuna stared at her for awhile, before looking down at her own clothes. She was still wearing her coat, so why was Miss Miura asking such a silly question? She tilted her head quizzically. Miss Miura realized her silliness, chuckling foolishly and grabbing Tsuna's arm with her free hand.

"Come, come. We'll eat breakfast, and then you can change!"

"Ah – wait! I left my sweater here yesterday…do you still have it?"

"Probably, probably," Haru waved off the question, and Tsuna soon found herself being dragged to the dining area.

"So," Haru started, taking a bite into her toast as she did, "how was the first day at work? Confident that you'll last a month there?"

At hearing her question, Tsuna's eyes widened and even seemed to water a bit, before looking down. "Perhaps…" was her meek answer. It held no confidence at all, and Haru noticed this immediately.

"Don't be frightened," she offered a kind smile – but her words were muffled by the crunching of her toast, "Haru is sure Tsuna-kun can do it!" She reached over and gave Tsuna a pat on her head. "Now, hurry up, eat. You'll need a lot of energy today!"

Tsuna looked down at her abundant breakfast. It was certainly far more than she had ever had for breakfast in her life, it seemed impossible to stuff all of it into her small figure. She ended up finishing only the eggs and rice before getting up and going to change.

* * *

The journey to the mansion was barely eventful – but since life always was, Tsuna had not hoped to see much on the way. The only thing that caught her attention was a mother cat nursing her kittens in the bushes by the park.

The first thing Tsuna did when she arrived was to check in to work, referring to the map that I-pin had kindly given her the day before. After she had done so, she was at loss of what to do. She knew that she had to personally attend to the residents of the mansion, but it was early and they were possibly still asleep after a long day of work the day before. The next thing that came up in her mind was to look after the animals. Tsuna shuddered at the thought of that, but it was work.

_What to do? _She thought, shrugging lightly before whipping out her map again, heading towards the Pet Shelter.

It was much colder than the day before – Tsuna huddled up tightly, her feet moving faster, hoping to get to the shelter as fast as possible. The sooner she got there, the sooner she would be able to relish in warmth, but the sooner she would have to face the worst of her fears – animals. She could now see the wooden structure peeking out from within the trees, and quickly strode over.

"Aaah," she released a breath of relief as she shrugged off her coat, hanging it up by the door. She took a look around – the shelter was mostly silent, the only sound being the breaths of the animals –soft and rhythmical. Jirou and Kojirou were the nearest to her, cutely cuddled up together, snoozing away. Roll the hedgehog was also curled up in its own warm and comfortable cage, in a deep slumber.

_Maybe I could just…put food in their bowls and go away. That would be good, very good. Heheh… _

She scanned the entire room, before looking for the cupboard the contained the animal feed. Tsuna had not an inkling on how to complete the task – I-pin never told her, nor did Yamamoto, since she passed out anyway.

"Err," she mumbled under her breath, standing on her tiptoes and eying the containers of food cautiously. She felt something moist around her leg; a warm breath tickling her shin. Tsuna just flapped her palms, going on to look at the other containers. She soon found something nudging her ankles persistently, and after awhile, she conceded defeat and looked down.

"YEEEARGH!" she yelled loudly. She found Jirou cheerfully wagging its tail and pacing around her feet. The animals in the shelter were just beginning to stir – Tsuna dared not to move an inch.

"H-help," she whined softly, frozen in place by the happy and oblivious dog. She shut her eyes tight, clenched her fists on her skirt and looked up, shaking in fright as the moist feeling spread from her shin to her other leg. It felt as though eternity was passing, each second excruciatingly slow, yet salvation was not arriving any time soon.

Tsuna could hear the slightly louder snort of the bull; the beginnings of its awakening, and the small ruffle of hay from where Roll was sleeping. Tsuna knew she was in trouble if she did not move soon, but Jirou did not seem to be relenting, circling the area in which she was standing, hopping up and down cheerfully.

"J-Jirou…Good boy…" she started in a placating tone, hoping with the deepest of her heart that the dog would move away and leave her alone. Kojirou swooped down to rest on her shoulder, which was not helping the situation any further. Tsuna yelped, falling to the ground, bum first.

"O-ow!" She would have attempted to move, but now Jirou was up to her face, tongue stuck out and paw rested on her thighs. He was about to give her a big slobbery lick across her face. Tsuna shut her eyes again, in desperation for such a horrible feeling to go away, but to no avail. Jirou would definitely…

"What are you doing here?" a cold voice rung out through the air. It sounded so very familiar, perhaps like the one she heard on New Year's and the one that she heard when she woke up. But Tsuna's mind was too clouded with fear – the voice only sounded like one thing to her – it sounded like rescue that she so direly needed. Tsuna looked up to the source of the voice, only to let her own be stuck in her throat.

The man was beautiful, blessed so much with good looks. He was tall and dark haired, possibly the heart-throb of many young girls. However, Tsuna could immediately see the one big flaw that marred all of his other features – it was the scowl on his face. The man looked as though he could never smile sincerely, only with cynicism and conviction.

"I am…"

"You are?"

His eyes narrowed further, the intensity of his glare weighed Tsuna down, and she dared to speak no more. All that she had wanted to say hung off the tip of her tongue as she was intimidated by this scary figure.

"I am – "

"Get to work."

Tsuna could only look at him in shock, but he ignored her horrified expression and went on his way, walking towards Roll.

_Eh? Roll? _

Tsuna could see Roll's head peeking out from the mass of hay now; the scary man bent down, supporting himself on his knees as he extended a finger to gently touch the tip of Roll's nose. She could not believe that the man would be able to carry out such an act of care, especially towards a small animal like Roll. He seemed to exude an aura of hate and anger wherever he went. Despite this thought, Tsuna found herself smiling at him.

_Perhaps he has a soft side._

"Didn't you hear me? Get to work, herbivore."

"A-ah! Yes!"

_Come to think of it, Yamamoto-san did mention Roll's owner was a person named Hibari. Maybe this man is Hibari-san? _Tsuna pondered as she got to her feet. Jirou had long run off, being distracted by Hibari's entrance and losing interest in slobbering all over Tsuna's face. Deciding not to stare any further, for it would have been rude, Tsuna went about her task of finding the right kind of food for the pets.

* * *

The morning had flown past rather eventfully; Tsuna spilling the food numerous times as Jirou and the leopard cub nudged her continuously. Hibari ignored her with much success – he could act as though she never existed in the first place. The man's skill of indifference was quite astounding; Tsuna had been screaming, yelping and dropping things all around, trying to avoid contact with any of the animals there, but Hibari had not batted an eyelid at her antics.

Cleaning up the Pet Shelter was supposed to be an easy feat too, but with all the pets lying around and the bull giving fierce looks at her (or so she thought – Tsuna's imagination was _rather _vivid), she could not sweep the floor with a peace of mind. Tsuna stumbled out, knees shaking and half-dead by noon. The outside was no longer cold to her – the only thing that was on her mind was how terrifying it was to deal with animals. Would she be doing this for the rest of her life? She would probably pass away on the job.

Gratefully, Tsuna made her way back to the mansion in a harried manner, happy to have finished her job at the Pet Shelter. Since it was noon, perhaps the residents would be up and at work already, so she could clean their rooms. As soon as she walked up the doorstep, she wiped her boots carefully on the mat so that she would not tarnish the clean marble floors of the mansion.

"Which one first?" she asked herself, looking around. Some of the maids were carrying piles of laundry, scurrying about to finish their jobs quickly, only to move on to other endless number of jobs that they had. The doors were all closed, cold and unwelcoming. Tsuna walked up to a door, knocking on it slowly.

"H-Hello? Anyone there?" she started in a small, shy voice. There was no reply.

"Hello?" she knocked twice again. Again, there was no reply.

"Alright then…" Tsuna pushed the door open slowly.

The room was definitely one of those regularly occupied – the bed was unmade, but that was the only mess in the room. Everything else was well placed – a large, wall-sized bookshelf at the side, a clean and neat table with a few pens and a photo frame on it, and drawn blinds over a large wall-sized window at the side. Tsuna smiled, wondering whose room it was. It would be easy to clean up; perhaps it would take twenty minutes at most in spite of its size.

Tsuna shut the door slowly, careful not to make any noise, and began her work. After she had made the bed, she took a broom and a dustpan, sweeping the floor. She sneezed loudly, for it was quite dusty; it was very windy and chilly out, so she decided against opening a small gap in the window.

_Done! This is simple, _Tsuna thought to herself cheerfully. It was so much less of a task than having to handle the Pet Shelter, and she actually enjoyed doing the job. She put the broom to the side and picked up a duster, dusting off the shelves. When she was done, she took a table cloth out and proceeded to the neat desk, wiping it diligently. Her hand swiped across the smooth surface , and by fault of accident, knocked over the photo frame. It clattered face-down onto the floor.

"Oops," she said to herself, bending over to pick the photo frame up. Tsuna flipped it around, and was about to return it to its original position when she noticed something about it. The photo stored inside the frame was old and fading away. It was a picture of a young girl, who smiled so brightly, sitting on a swing next to a familiar looking boy. She had shining violet eyes and bunned up hair, tied up to resemble the pineapple shaped hairstyle that Mukuro-san wore on his head.

"Wait a minute…Mukuro-san?" Tsuna looked closer at the photo, and she found the young boy next to her, the young boy who was smiling as brilliantly as she was, to resemble the now grown-up man.

"Crap!"

Tsuna dropped the photo frame and immediately turned to the door. She found Mukuro standing there, rage flashing across his eyes. It was not the first time Tsuna had seen true anger, but it was the first where she had seen fury on such a great scale. She was frozen in fear, but not in the same sort of fear that she felt at the Pet Shelter. Her hands shook, and tears formed on the edges of her eyes, threatening to trickle down the side of her pale cheek.

_I'm going to be fired again. I can't do anything right. I can't do anything right. I can't do anything right. I can't do anything right. You're so useless, Tsuna. You should have known this was coming. You should have known you'd be fired on the second day of work – you should have known you were lucky to even survive the first. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. _

"I won't fire you," Mukuro stood directly in front of her now, but in place of the anger that had been on his face just a moment ago, was a cunning smile. He towered over Tsuna – his figure was tall and imposing.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry," Tsuna's mouth quivered.

"Did you not hear me? I won't fire you," he repeated. Tsuna was still repeatedly muttering apologies to Mukuro.

"Two conditions, however," Mukuro continued, "one, you will speak not a word of this to _anyone_. You won't just be fired by then." He smiled cryptically. Tsuna snapped to attention at these words, listening with intent. Tears were streaming down the sides of her face, but her lips stopped trembling.

"Second – You will tell me of your relation to Reborn."

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry for the late update, but I really hadn't much time to write before, but now I that I do - I write. So here's chapter 6. In the future I'll probably upload in longer intervals because it's term 2, so everything is going to get busier. I also probably won't reply to reviews anymore unless it's a burning question I feel I can/need to answer. So sorry for that too :S. (I'm still very grateful though!)

Anyway, sorry for the mean "She's dead" cliffhanger. Things are more complicated than Tsuna would ever wish it to be - so very complex...

This chapter is dedicated to Usako-kun, whom I was supposed to draw Cagalli for, but the promise flew in the wind. Happy belated, hun.

Thank you for reading!


	7. Chapter 7: Susurrus

**Chapter 7: Susurrus**

* * *

**1400 hrs, Monday; 4 January,Year 2100**

Why had Mukuro wanted to know about her relation to Reborn? A part of Tsuna was dying to know, but the other part did not. And besides, did Mukuro know Reborn? The answer to that was quite obvious. But there was something about the way Mukuro spoke Reborn's name that did not come out right – acid, it was acid and scathing, hate that dissolved all flesh down to the bare bones. Reborn had not visited her for months now – he was too busy with his work, work with the Vongola Entertainment Company. Maybe during this time, he might have bumped into Mukuro and gone about antagonizing people.

_Highly possible. I heard from I-Pin that all the residents in this house work there. _Tsuna connected some of the dots in her mind, before roughly shaking her head.

"Nothing to do with you, Tsuna," she whispered lightly to herself, "nothing to do with you."

She was looking at her feet as she hurried away from the room, her fringe shadowing her eyes as she went. Her body actions drew a bit of attention from the other maids, who stared at her as she scurried past them.

"I heard that she went into Master Mukuro's room."

"Probably fired, hah! That's what you get for being inexperienced."

"Will she disappear?"

"Disappear?"

"Like _the rest."_

"_Shush! Speak not of that! Get to work."_

Tsuna heard these snide remarks as she walked past her colleagues. _Disappear? _She wondered what that was about – it made her heart thump a little faster. She made a mental note to ask I-Pin about the talk of _disappearance. _

"Hey, you!" a voice called out from behind her. She felt a hand grip her shoulder to stop her from walking.

* * *

Mukuro sat at his table, stroking the sides of the photo frame as he stared out of the window. Out of the side of his eyes, he could see a small crack at the side of it.

"Oh?" he was not very amused to see that, his smile fading away.

"Hm."

His phone that had once sat idly on the table began to vibrate, sending out shrill beeps as it did. Mukuro ignored it, and continued to stare at the lightly falling snow drops. The phone stopped vibrating, and paused in silence for a second before it started again.

Mukuro, with a swift hand, grabbed the phone and flipped the cover open, tapping on the "receive call" button on the screen.

"What?"

"Is that all you can say, what? You're late,"

"Be quiet, Reborn. I'm leaving," without waiting for a reply, he ended the call, snapped the phone cover shut and stood up.

_There's more to it…I'm sure._

_

* * *

_"Eh?" Tsuna turned around, a little faster than she had anticipated, which led her to losing her balance. Thankfully, before her bum could come in contact with the cold hard floor for the umpteenth time since she started her job, a strong arm grabbed her from underneath her waist, preventing her from falling.

"Eek!" she squealed, before she realized that she was in close contact with a stranger, and a man, no less. She grew redder and redder as the seconds seemed to tick by with excruciating slowness.

"Ah! Sorry to the extreme!"

"What the – GYAH!"

The arm released her suddenly, and she fell to the floor all the same.

"Oow, that hurts," she cried, rubbing her rear as she tried to get up on her feet again.

"SORRY TO THE EXTREME, AGAIN!" the man yelled with so much power and volume, Tsuna could not help but fall back to the ground as she cupped her ears. The man extended a strong, muscular arm to help her up. Tsuna grabbed it, appreciative of the help, but not so grateful for the numb sensation of her backside coupled with the ringing of her ears.

"Thank you," she coughed up.

The man had white hair that spiked up and grey-blue eyes that reflected intense determination in them, just as the way he spoke.

"Anyway! To cut to the chase, new maid! Can I have lunch delivered to my room? Two extreme servings please! Lambo's eating too," he said quickly, before turning around with great speed, jogging off down the corridor. "Thanks!" he called as he waved the back of his hand.

"Eh? Ah? Wait, what?" Tsuna stood, dumbfounded, blinking at the figure moving away at a great speed.

_What…?_

She shook her head, going on her way.

"Lunch, huh? I'll have to head down to the kitchens," she muttered as she went on her way again.

At the kitchens, she found two chefs at the stoves cooking, and a lady who was washing some dishes at the sink. The lady wore the typical brown maid uniform that everyone else wore, so Tsuna knew immediately that she did not work at the kitchens, but was one of the regular maids in the mansion.

"Ah, what's this?" she turned around. The woman was middle-aged, and had a homely look as well as a motherly tone in her voice. "A new one? Well, welcome to the kitchen!"

Tsuna gave her a nervous smile.

"Er, I need to deliver lunch."

"Lunch? Well, to whom, darling?"

"Uhh," Tsuna racked her brains for an answer. She had not asked the man for his name, but she remembered that there was one other name mentioned in his loud and quick request.

"Someone called Lambo-san, I might think…and the loud, white-haired one," she said softly, unsure.

"Ah, you mean Master Sasagawa?"

"I should think so," she said.

"Alright. Maurice! You heard the lady!"

"Aye, ma'm!"

While waiting for the orders of food to be cooked, Tsuna once again took out her handy map, looking for "Sasagawa's" room. Her finger traced the map, looking all around for it. "Uuuuuuh," she muttered to herself, furrowing her eyebrows in frustration.

"Hey, your order is up!" the chef said, placing the last plate on a trolley.

"Ah, thank you!"

Tsuna folded the map and put it back into her pocket again before walking up to the trolley. With a shy nod, she said a small word of thanks to the woman and the chef before making her way to Sasagawa's room.

After turning a few wrong corners and hitting a dead end, she managed to locate the room. She could hear the excited shouting of two men and sounds of energy blasts and things crashing coming from inside the door. Tsuna knocked on it, at first soft and unsure. No one had heard it, so she gathered more courage and gave two harder knocks on it.

"Excuse me? Sasagawa-san? The food you ordered is here!"

"Ah! Thanks! Just open the door – whoop! Darn, I died. Pause the game, pause the game!" Tsuna heard the background music stop, and heavy footsteps getting louder and louder. She opened the door, and looking down the small walkway she could see Sasagawa-san approaching, and behind him, a suave-looking young teen. Tsuna rolled the trolley in before the well-built man took over from her.

"Alright, I guess that should be it. Uh, enjoy your meal!"

"Will do, will do! By the way, Miss-New-Extreme-Maid! What's your name?"

"Sawada Tsuna," she replied with a smile.

"Ah, Sawada Tsuna, is it! Good to meet you."

"S-same here."

"Ryohei-nii! Hurry up!"

"Coming!" Sasagawa-san chuckled. "I'll be seeing you around then!" he said, pushing the tray back into his room.

"I guess so," Tsuna replied, turning around and exiting the room.

_I hope so._

* * *

Tsuna wandered back down, wondering what to do. She could clean the rest of the rooms, she thought, and that would be what she would do. In fear of ending up in a similar situation as before, Tsuna checked the map carefully.

"_Don't enter Master Hibari's or Master Mukuro's rooms. Take caution." _

She remembered I-Pin's words to her, and since Sasagawa's room was occupied, that left Lambo-san, Gokudera-san, and Yamamoto-san's rooms to clean. She nodded to herself, picking out Yamamoto's room to clean first, since she felt the most comfortable with him. Inside, she wondered what sort of room he would have.

"No time to think about these idle things!" she said, returning the handy map to her pocket before walking to Yamamoto's room. When she got there, she found the door to be slightly ajar. She opened the door slowly, closing it quietly. When she looked up, her mind turned blank, unable to process anything at all.

"Hiee-k!" she gave a shrill cry, before clamping her mouth tightly and placing her hands over them.

There, on the bed, lay two men – two men she could make out to be both Yamamoto and Gokudera – sleeping cosily under a thick comforter, together. Tsuna could feel the blood rushing to her head, and as soon as she could get her mind to function again, she felt something moist dripping from her nose.

_Crap! _Tsuna swiped her hand from under her nose and saw that it was blood. _Nosebleed! _

Then, at the worst timing possible, Gokudera stirred, opening his eyes and letting out a loud yawn. He got up slowly and turned to the direction at which Tsuna stood frozen.

"Who the hell's there?"

Yamamoto now shifted a bit, groaning as he rubbed his eyes. His arm flopped lazily back to the bed, and he let out a loud yawn at the same time.

"Uhn…? Hayato, who's there?" He turned a few times more before getting up, propping himself on his elbow. He squinted his eyes, trying to make out the blurry figure that was Tsuna.

"Sorry for intruding!" she said quickly, a hand grabbing her nose and the other opening the door. She closed it as quickly and as quietly as she could, running off to look for a toilet. Images were now rushing through her mind – Tsuna was embarrassed. She could not let the world know!

She could not let the world know…that she was a closet Yaoi fan girl.

_He wasn't naked! He wasn't naked! He wasn't naked! They weren't naked! They weren't naked! They – oh, Tsuna, stop thinking, just stop!_

She managed to find a bathroom just in time, before the bloody mess went out of hand. Wiping her nose clean, she panted softly, looking at her reflection in the mirror. Although being fed with more, Tsuna looked paler than ever before. Perhaps it was the effects of working at the place, but she did not know. But what she knew was that working in the mansion was as thrilling, maybe even more thrilling than a ride on a roller coaster. The thing was – Tsuna hated roller coasters. The last time Reborn had forced her on one alone, she was all jittery the whole of the afternoon and the next morning.

"Not good, not good, not good," she muttered to herself. "At least they were clothed."

The bleeding had now stopped, and Tsuna's breathing became more regular. She wiped her face once more, adjusting her hair and head piece before walking back out into the corridor, acting as though nothing had just happened.

"Oi!" Tsuna could hear the distinctive voice of Gokudera's now. Her knees started to turn jelly. This was too much happening to her in one day! First it was with Mukuro, and now this!

_Reborn taught you better, Tsuna! _

Tsuna took a huge gulp of air before turning around to face Gokudera.

"Y-yes sir!"

Gokudera grabbed her wrist roughly, dragging her to the side.

"What did you see?"

"Nothing at all sir! Nothing, nothing at all!" Tsuna lied in an attempt at shameless self-preservation.

"Tell me, what did you see?!"

"I saw you and Yamamoto-san lying in the same bed and sleeping innocently and not in any other manner that might send millions of girls flying in a giant rage and a massive nosebleed sir!" she hastily replied, clearly intimidated. At her reply, Gokudera placed a palm over his face, shaking his head in frustration, at the same time, mocking Tsuna's stupidity.

"Anyway! I need to clarify with you in case your stupid head interprets it the wrong way and you start spreading gibberish about us. In any case, I do not sleep with that blockhead the way that you're probably thinking!"

"Of course, sir! The both of you were…dressed!"

"Ugh…if this clarifies things for you…"

Gokudera looked away, a pained expression of melancholy on his face. Tsuna tilted her head in confusion, before raising her hands and shaking them furiously.

"If you can't tell me then, please don't! I don't want to trouble you."

"No, it's alright."

Gokudera looked at Tsuna again. Her face – her eyes – it all made it easier to remember. Remember the good memories – and yet, so agonizingly easy to remember the horrid things so hard to forget. He clenched his fists.

"It's something we always did, and we still always do. We're childhood friends – we used to share a bed like that, together."

"Ah, I see. Well, uh, that's sweet. I-I'm sorry for intruding!"

"No, it's fine," Gokudera looked down. "You can go. Just don't tell everyone you see about this. Keep quiet, you hear me?"

"Yes sir!" Tsuna affirmed nervously, running off again aimlessly.

Gokudera watched as she took off, her shadow disappearing further in the distance.

_Something…something the three of us used to do together._

**_

* * *

_**

**A/N:** Wait what_? _I didn't just write that. 8D

Hell, it's 2.30 in the morning and my mind is messed up.

Thanks for reading and reviewing!

doremishine itsuko: Yes, her name is only Tsuna - Tsunayoshi sounds far to masculine and I don't really want to sidetrack to much from her original names. Pairings are also involved, so worry not.

Seriyuu: Link made D

Bloodstained Pierrot: Only learned how to use them recently though!

kikyokyoyahibari: Truth to oneself, lies to the world.

Everyone else: A HUGE THANK YOU!


	8. Chapter 8: Changing

**Chapter 8: Changing**

* * *

**0700 hrs, Friday; 8****January, Year 2100**

Tsuna had been mopping the floor of the main hall, when Yamamoto called her out, holding a leash in his hand.

"Sawada! I need you to do me a favour!" he had said quickly, one hand casually stuck in his pocket, and the other holding up the leash. "I need to rush for work, so will you help me walk Jirou?"

Tsuna stared at his hand for a moment.

"I-I guess! You don't have to ask that, Yamamoto-san. It's my job!" she nervously said, adding a chuckle at the back that sounded a bit more like strangled coughs. She passed the mop to one hand, taking the leash from Yamamoto.

"Sorry bout' this!" he smiled, waving his hand quickly before he jogged off. Tsuna could hear Gokudera's faint shouting in the background, presumably telling Yamamoto to hurry up. She stared at the leash in her hands, and only two words resounded in her head.

_Oh crap._

She gave the floor one last mop, before picking up the bucket and walking back to the storehouse to put the items aside.

After she had finished that task, she began her journey to the Pet Shelter, each step filled with dread. Tsuna knew she had to try get over her fear of animals if she wanted to keep her sanity. Then again, she heard all those dreadful stories about maids who had lost their mind _anyway, _so things were looking quite bleak. She pursed her lips as she pushed the shed's door open.

Jirou was already awake, chasing his own tail happily, since his partner, Kojirou, was still perched on a shelf attached to the wall, sound asleep. When he heard the door open, he immediately stopped what he was doing, staring at Tsuna for a brief moment before spotting the collar. He wagged his tail furiously, dashing up to her and standing on his hind legs, pawing at her apron.

"Geeea – ah!" Tsuna took a step back, placing her hands in front of her in a defensive stance. Jirou persisted at doing so, scaring Tsuna out of her wits.

_Alright Tsuna. Stay calm, you can do this. He's not going to kill you. _

Hours seemed to pass as she made that self-assurance.

Tsuna stopped backing away, slowly getting down on her knees. She patted his head as gently as she could with shaky hands, and he sat on the floor in response, waiting for her to put the leash on. When she was done, he got back up, jumping up and down in the same activity level that he held before. Tsuna went to the cupboard, taking out a small bag that contained plastic bags and tissue.

"Let's go, Jirou," Tsuna tugged lightly at the leash. Jirou, being the intelligent dog that he was, walked up to Tsuna, and gave a few cheerful barks.

They were soon outside the mansion, Jirou bumbling way ahead of Tsuna, or at least, as far as his leash allowed him to. Tsuna walked slowly, looking at her surroundings. The last time she had been at the back of the mansion was when she first arrived here, but it still looked as magnificent as ever, although the trees were bare and the plants but mere branches.

It was a slow walk, but somehow, Tsuna did not mind. It was relatively warmer than the other days that day, as there was less wind. She seemed to forget about her fear for animals when as she looked around. The mansion looked beautiful from the outside, from its brick walls to the Victorian style architecture. It was a rare sight now – land was so expensive, it seemed impossible to get such a large plot of land to house just a few people, no less. Tsuna wondered why the Vongola Company had given such a beautiful home to just a few of their employees. It was only a fleeting thought, for it went as soon as it came.

Before Tsuna knew it, she was back at the back gate, walking back to the Pet Shelter again.

_That was fast…and alright. _

She was surprised at herself, for she managed to take Jirou for a small walk with few to no troubles at all. Jirou was still as bubbly as his owner. The moment they had gotten back, the pets were already awake, and Jirou bustled up to Kojirou happily. Tsuna had to struggle a little while to remove the leash and put the items back in the cupboard.

* * *

It was noon.

Yamamoto flopped back into the soft, velvet cushions, heaving a deep breath.

"Aaaah!" he yawned. His eyes were closed, but he could feel a presence before him; a shadow blocking the light.

"Oi! Yamamoto, we aren't done with the photo shoot yet. Get your lazy ass up!"

"But it's lunch!" he opened one eye, to see Gokudera's silhouette blocking his view. Gokudera's arms were folded, and his mouth curved into a displeased grimace.

"Our schedule is tight today. No time for lunch. Look, we have to finish this, and then go for practice. We have a concert tonight, for goodness' sake!" said Gokudera.

"Isn't that great? All the tickets sold out!"

"You fail."

"At?"

"Changing the topic."

And then a brief pause.

"Hey," Yamamoto started.

"What is it?"

"What do you think of Sawada?"

Gokudera seemed to be caught by surprise at this question, but he held his breath for a few seconds before opening his mouth again.

"That worthless maid? Eyesore." He folded his arms again, turning around.

"She reminds me of things I don't want to remember," Gokudera continued, in a softer voice this time.

"Why not? Those were good times," Yamamoto leaned back, looking at the high ceiling.

"…That are gone. That could have continued. She's dead, Yamamoto, dead. Just because some fool that looks like an older version of her comes into our lives doesn't mean she's going to resurrect!" Gokudera sounded frustrated now.

"All this stiff work. We came into this industry because of her, didn't we?"

"So we did. Don't complain."

"I'm not."

The photographer waved his hand impatiently at the both of them now.

"Hey, Yamamoto?"

"Hm?"

"Don't let that maid fool you. She's just a maid, you hear?"

"I won't," Yamamoto said with an air of finality, getting up and walking towards the stage.

"Come on."

Gokudera jogged up to his side, and the both of them resumed their hard work.

* * *

Tsuna sneezed as she opened her lunch box. She sniffed a bit, using a little handmade handkerchief that she always carried along with her to wipe her nose.

Lunch had consisted of mainly rice with seaweed on top. At the side was a small serving of salad, and two small pieces of fried chicken. It was not much, but then again, Tsuna figured that it would sustain her till the day ended.

She was eating alone, again, in the maids' break room. Somehow, Tsuna could not help but to miss I-Pin a bit. The young teen had been quite kind to her on her first day of work. At least the following day would be Saturday, and it would mean that I-Pin was coming back to work for the weekends.

Tsuna smiled to herself at the thought. I-Pin was Tsuna's one and only friend. Tsuna had spent years with her social calendar empty, relentlessly teased and bullied in middle and high school. Not scoring enough to get into college, she had to start working. Reborn left her to her own devices, leaving the town as soon as she was eighteen.

"Be independent," he had said. He did leave their apartment for her to stay in, but to prove her worth, Tsuna worked hard and long hours, saving the money that Reborn sent her occasionally, till she could afford to rent her current shoddy apartment. Her old home was now empty, waiting for Reborn to come back, if he ever would, and reoccupy it.

When Tsuna was done, she repacked her lunch box neatly, placing it back in her bag. There was work to do, and she now felt more reenergised and motivated. At that moment, her obsolete cell phone rang.

"Eh?"

Tsuna walked over and picked it up, only to hold the phone at arm's length.

"H-Hello?"

"Tsuna-kun! It's an amazing opportunity!"

"Huh?"

"My friend can't make it to a concert today!"

"And?"

"I have a spare ticket and no one to go with!"

"I think you're mistaken Miss Miura. I don't have money to pay for it and I'm not exactly…"

"Nonsense! It's free, and you'll love it!"

"I haven't been keeping up with musicians or bands lately! I don't think I'll … "

"Your employers are performing."

These were the magical words that made Tsuna pause for awhile. She wondered how Yamamoto-san, or Gokudera, or even Mukuro performed on stage. She was considering, but she never really was interested in these sorts of activities.

Curiousity, however, triumphed yet again.

"A-alright… I'll go. When is it?"

"Tonight!" Haru cheerfully spoke.

"What? That's too soon! And wait, I don't think I have the proper attire."

"I'll dress you up!"

Tsuna hesitated for a moment. Those words seemed very hard to trust, knowing Haru – she would go all out and probably put her in some ridiculous clothes.

"Leave work early today – meet me at the shop, six thirty sharp. We'll get you all dolled up and we can go together!"

Beeping sounds followed, indicating that their conversation was over. Tsuna was left staring at her phone for awhile.

* * *

Tsuna stepped into the shop cautiously.

"Miss Miura!" she called.

"I'm up here!" Crashing noises could be heard, followed by a loud yell of pain. Tsuna, upon hearing these noises, dashed up the stairs as fast as she could, which was not very fast. She was horrible at athletics.

The sight that greeted her was Haru, lying in a deep pile of clothes that were strewn all over the place. A box lay next to her, the clothes inside spilling out.

"Eheheh!" she chuckled nervously, looking up at Tsuna's horrified expression.

"W-what…"

"I did say I was going all out to dress you up nicely!" Haru cut her off, gathering herself again. She shuffled her hands in the pile of clothes, pulling out something from beneath.

"Tadah!" she said happily, showing Tsuna a beautiful white dress. It was sleeveless, and simple, with just a black silk ribbon tied under the chest area; the bottom was ruffled. Haru set the dress aside, pulling out something else.

"And this cute shawl to go with it!" Haru said, showing Tsuna a translucent white shawl. Tsuna could only hold a look of terror on her face. The items looked so expensive, and she felt uncomfortable having to wear something so nice.

"Hmm," Haru mumbled something under her breath, looking at Tsuna from head to bottom.

"You need to get rid of those ugly strands of hair at the back," she said.

"Eh! What?"

Haru went over to the drawer, pulling out a comb and a pair of scissors.

"Haru is going to get rid of it!"

"Hiek!" Tsuna shrieked. She really loved that lock of hair! It was _not _ugly at all! Haru however, ignored her call of protest, lunging for her.

At the end of the one hour, Tsuna had transformed. She looked startlingly sweet in Haru's dress, and her hair was tied up with her black ribbon, to create a nice short ponytail at the back. She had no idea her hair was long enough to be tied up again. Haru had applied some simple makeup for her, just a bit, because according to her, Tsuna looked better with a more "natural" look. Haru had also lent her a white purse so that she could put her valuables inside and not "carry that ugly bag" of hers.

"Let's go!" Haru said, taking Tsuna's hand.

Haru was wearing a black dress with a white rose belt, and looked incredibly pretty in it. She wore a similar looking white shawl as Tsuna's. She had let her hair down, pinning her fringe to the side with a simple black clip.

She had also taken the liberty of replacing Tsuna's shoes, and Tsuna stumbled a few times on the way to the car park, not used to wearing heels.

"M-miss Miura!"

"Call me Haru!" she said firmly. "Yes?"

"I might not be able to survive a whole night in…in these…things! "

"Oh, relax, you will!" she said, unlocking her car. The light in a red sports car parked nearest to them flashed on.

Tsuna got into the seat next to Haru, and soon they were on their way to the venue – it was a pretty posh club in the western area of the city. The car journey was silent, until Tsuna, in spite of her shy disposition, started the conversation.

"Hey, Miss – I mean, Ha-Haru?"

"Hmm?" she said, keeping her eyes on the expressway.

"Why are you so kind to me? I mean, I'm just your…employee, there isn't a need to go this far," she said, fiddling with her fingers again.

Haru tilted her head a bit, as if choosing words to carefully answer the question.

"Because…" she drew a small breath, "you looked like you needed a change in your life for once."

"Eh?"

"I can see it in your eyes, Tsuna-kun. You seem to always just get on with life as though it's a chore. You're living to die at the very end – you…"

"…Don't seem to have any goals."

Tsuna's breath hitched. She was astounded at how accurate Haru was. At the same time, she was touched by the gesture. She gave a wide smile, although Haru could not see it.

"Thank you, Haru!" it was full of appreciation, for she barely knew Haru, nor did Haru know much about her. She was just a stranger up to a week ago.

"Don't mention it!" Haru replied happily.

Tsuna laughed – it was not a loud, hearty laugh – but it seemed like the first time she had felt truly happy in awhile.

Truly happy, because someone cared.

* * *

**A/N: **Haha, I feel like I butchered Yamamocchi's character down here. Damn.

-Arashi-Storm-Guardian: It means "murmur".

Seriyuu: Yeah, left out on purpose. Sorry. D:

kikyokyoyahibari: Reborn knows everything. He's watching you sleep. /Jk. I'm not revealing what Tsuna said...yet.

Mashimaro: Maybe.

Queen Phantomhive: Maybe.

Everyone: And a big thanks for reading and reviewing! :) Sorry for the cryptic answers, but really.

I need sleep. Nao.


	9. Chapter 9: Waltz of the Stars

**Chapter 9: Waltz of the Stars**

* * *

**2000 hrs, Friday; 8 January, Year 2100**

Tsuna stared in wonder at the exquisite interiors of the club. It was called ACT3, an awfully weird name for such a posh club. Then again, Tsuna thought, everything these days had weird names. It came to her as no surprise. Suddenly, she found herself being tugged at her wrists by Haru.

"Tsuna-kun! This way!" she said, dragging Tsuna closer to the stage. The performance had not started yet, but the place was already bustling with hyperactive fan girls – this, despite being dressed up so nicely. It was so ill-matched to their behavior.

What came as a not-so-pleasant surprise to Tsuna however, were a few old and well dressed men, probably very rich, sitting down in plush velvet sofas at the side of the room. They were talking and laughing merrily, toasting with wine. She had always thought that the demographics of the_ Project Guardians_ band were teenage girls, so why a posh club in the posh side of town, and rich old men sitting in posh sofas at the side of the posh room? Tsuna's mind ventured far, and then she decided that she did not want it to go too far, because it could give her rather unpleasant thoughts.

Looking elsewhere, she could see a group of girls by the bar, crowding around a man who was sipping some alcohol. Like Sasagawa's hair, his was white, although it was a much purer white than Sasagawa's. The man turned around abruptly, startling Tsuna and making her jump a little. Had she been caught staring? His eyes seemed to fixate on her, and he let out a sly grin. He seemed angelic, almost, except for that slight aura of mischief surrounding him. He was rather handsome, but Tsuna wondered what the strange tattoo over his left eye was.

The room darkened, bringing Tsuna's attention back to the stage. Haru was bouncing on her heels, trying to look over the mass of people that blocked their view. They were far too short despite wearing such high-heels, and they could only catch a glimpse as the musicians walked up the stage, adjusting the microphones and picking up their instruments.

Tsuna could see Gokudera at the keyboard and Yamamoto holding a guitar.

"Unh – "she let out a small noise as she was pushed into Haru by a rather plump girl, making the two stumble. From their new angle however, she could see Mukuro and Hibari standing up front without any instruments. They were the vocalists.

Mukuro exuded a charismatic aura, and as he waved his hand at the audience, loud screaming from the crowd could be heard. Tsuna wanted to plug her ears from the sheer volume of it, but it did not help one bit when she did. Soon, the cries died down.

Tsuna jumped a bit when Hibari was the one who started, strong but with much emotion, astonishing for a man who could be so cold.

"_T__he sakura blossoms, it flutters down, on my hand where there's nothing…"_

And then, when Mukuro's turn to sing came, shivers went up Tsuna's spine, and she found herself inexplicably happy. She was smiling, and she felt as though she had never been more carefree in her life.

"…_fleeting and gentle, I'm afraid it might break, the flower that is just like you." _

It was just a normal song, but Tsuna could feel something in her heart resonating with his voice. Something that was strange, odd, and not meant to be. The rest of the crowd seemed more energetic hearing his voice, but Tsuna was feeling the opposite.

_Break._

Her knees felt weak, but Tsuna was still grinning, grinning like an idiot. She held her chest as she crumbled to the floor, her other hand holding her throbbing head. She tried to look up, but her vision was just blurry – she could not see a thing.

"Tsuna-kun!"

Haru cried out over the noise as she bent down to attend to Tsuna. Tsuna found Haru surprisingly strong, being able to haul her up with ease, pulling an arm over her shoulder. Haru navigated the both of them out of the crowd.

Soon enough, after stumbling out of the throng, they managed to reach the ladies. Tsuna bent over the sink, turning on the tap and splashing her face with water at once. They were out of range of the music now, and Tsuna felt immensely better, although her head still throbbed, even if a bit.

_What the hell was that? _She thought as she panted, trying desperately to gather herself again.

"Tsuna-kun, are you alright? You just collapsed like that; you really, really scared Haru a lot!" Haru said, as she spread her arms, emphasising her words.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Tsuna replied, grabbing a napkin and wiping her face.

"Eh! Don't do that, you have to wipe the make-up off properly," Haru cried, taking out a small bottle of solution and her small but trusty make-up pack. "Here, I'll reapply it for you."

When they were done with that, Haru had suggested for the both of them to step out of the club to get some fresh air. Tsuna declined, telling her to go back and enjoy the concert, but Haru would not hear of it. She grabbed Tsuna by the wrist again, and the both of them made their way out through the back door.

Tsuna puffed out a breath of white air, while Haru dug her bag for some painkillers.

"Here," she said, offering a pill. Tsuna gave a small smile, thanking Haru before taking the pill. She was then passed a bottle of water, with which she downed the medicine.

"God, you really scared me there," Haru started, when she saw Tsuna had taken the pill.

"I know, I'm so sorry. You should really just leave me – I can find my way home. I'll return the clothes to you tomorrow. Just go – enjoy yourself – "

"Go? I could never leave you out here alone, it's so scary! Plus, you're my responsibility for tonight!" Haru puffed out her chest proudly.

"But!"

"You're the one who should have enjoyed yourself. It was why I brought you here in the first place, oh – and you can't go yet, there's still somewhere I'd like to take you, but we can only go when the concert has ended!"

"What is it?"

"Secret!"

Tsuna raised a brow. She then offered a shaky smile.

"Ahh, r-really."

With Haru, she knew that surprises were not really to be trusted, but out of courtesy, she stayed and chatted with Haru as the both of them took a walk down the street, eventually sitting on a bench opposite the entrance of the club.

Time quickly flew, and Tsuna could see more and more people streaming out of the nightclub, chattering excitedly. She could only guess that the concert was over. The pair stood up and made their way back in again.

"So, where is this place you want to take me?"

"You'll find out!"

Tsuna was not too enthusiastic about it, but followed Haru anyway. They soon found themselves outside a door. A security officer stood outside.

"Pass?" Haru's hand once again disappeared into her bag, and she pulled out what seemed to be a card, flashing it at the officer for a brief moment, before it went back into the bag. The officer nodded and knocked on the door.

"Two visitors."

Tsuna heard a little shuffling, until a voice that sounded an awful lot like Yamamoto's replied.

"Come in!"

Haru opened the door, and Tsuna peeked around it. She yelped a little, seeing all of the six band members scattered around the room.

"W-w-w-w-wha – " Tsuna stuttered looking at Haru, then back into the room again. Haru just pushed her inside in response, closing the door tight behind them. She smiled.

Yamamoto, being the first to recognise Tsuna, waved his hand at her.

"Yo, Sawada! Looking good tonight!"

Tsuna blushed, hearing his words.

"Uh, thank you…" she did not know how else to respond.

"Oya," a voice came from her right this time. "It's the midget, is it not? You aren't looking too poor," he gave a cunning smile.

_What the hell is that supposed to mean? _Tsuna huffed, glaring at Mukuro.

"Was my singing that bad?"

"Eh?" Tsuna was confused at the sudden question.

"My singing. You collapsed, didn't you? I could see. Your vision was blurry, your head was throbbing and your heart was – "

Before Tsuna could react, she could feel Mukuro's breath on her face. He was bent over, hands on either side of his hips, scrutinising every nook of her face.

"– beating harder than ever."

Instead of feeling intimidated, Tsuna questioned him back, feeling a surge of courage course through her veins.

"How do you know?"

Mukuro was about to open his mouth to reply, when a voice cut in.

"Oi. If you want to flirt with the maid, do it elsewhere," Gokudera's voice was gruff and distinct.

"I agree," a second sing-song voice cut in. Mukuro stiffened at the sound of the second voice, and Tsuna turned around slowly, to see the same angel-faced man she saw earlier on in the evening. Mukuro got back up, a scowl on his face.

The rest of the people in the room seemed to glare intently at the man, except Lambo, who looked at him casually. Even Yamamoto – his face held a look of caution on it; Gokudera and Hibari had their hackles raised.

"Byakuran," Mukuro stated simply, his smile returning to his face. "What brings you here?"

Byakuran replied cheerfully.

"Oh, nothing much. I'm just checking on you guys. Your concert was fantastic, although your voice was rather revolting, as I could see from this young lady over here," Byakuran raised his hand and placed it on Tsuna's head.

Mukuro was provoked by that action, raising his own hand quickly and wrapping it around Byakuran's wrist.

"Do keep a hand off the midget. She's rather fragile and I'd like someone to serve me tea tomorrow morning."

"Oh? But I'm interested in her," he looked down at Tsuna, then back at Mukuro. "She probably can do more than serve tea and make beds. I could offer her something more."

"Ha-hi! She's my employee as well! We're short on maids at my agency, and she's going nowhere!" Haru now cut in, rather outraged by the rude man.

Byakuran just whipped out a card and slotted it into her bag, ignoring whatever Haru said.

"If you do need a new job, do feel free to go down to the address written on the card, or maybe you would like to give me a call." He turned around, ready to leave when Mukuro grabbed his shoulder, and whispered something into his ear. He gave a derisive laugh, then made his way out again.

Mukuro turned, walking back to his original seat. There was a certain air of anger hovering around him, and an almost murderous aura. Tsuna could feel herself being stifled, but she found a warm hand on her shoulder next.

"Don't sweat it!" It was Yamamoto. He offered her a kind smile, before continuing. "Byakuran's always like that, you know, all…smiley and mischievous…"

"…and cunning," he added in an undertone. He then gave her two pats on the back, and walked back to his seat. Haru was still steaming, her hands clenched up tightly and her lips drawn into a pout.

"That man makes me so mad! So mad! So, so very mad!"

"We know," Hibari interjected, "so be quiet."

"You! You too!" Haru shrieked. "Come, Tsuna-kun! We're out of this place!" Haru grabbed her hand roughly, dragging her out of the door and stomping away. All the six men in the room stared at it briefly, before going back to doing their own things.

"Yeeeeeeaaargh!" Haru let out a long cry, banging the side of the car. Tsuna jumped, never having seen Haru this frustrated before.

"Those people! Oh, Tsuna, I'm so sorry. I just meant for you to get to know them better and – and, oh, just to have a good time. But tonight was ruined! Ruined I tell you! I swear, I'll pay them back next time! And, I'm so sorry. Oh god, I'll take you somewhere else as a repayment, really. I'm so sorry, so sorry…" Haru's voice trailed off.

"No, no, it's alright really. You've done more than enough for me tonight," Tsuna replied sheepishly. She was unsure of what to say, especially after the previous bizarre situation.

"I promise you, I will," Haru unlocked the car doors, getting into the driver's seat. Tsuna followed suit.

The journey home was a bit tiring, and Tsuna found her eyelids drooping slowly. She could hear Haru's soft breaths, occasionally an angry huff when a driver cut into the lane, and the lights – all the lights flashing past.

As Tsuna was lulled into a deep slumber by the rocking of the car, she had one last lingering thought on her mind.

"_She's my toy, Byakuran. I'm not willing to share." _

What exactly did Mukuro mean?

* * *

**A/N: **Ye gods, I'm sorry if there are any errors in this one, it'd be nice to tell me if you spot any. I'm so tired, I might have missed out on some. I'd like to apologise for the late update but I've been out of the country and pretty busy now, so yeah.

And before anyone thinks wrong, no, the rich old men aren't…perverse, if I can find any other term to put it. You'll find out soon enough. :D


	10. Chapter 10: Shelter

**Chapter 10: Shelter from the Snow**

* * *

**2330 hrs, Friday; 8 January 2100**

"Thank you, Miss Miura!" Tsuna said, bending over to look through the open car window.

"I told you, call me Haru!"

"Ah – right. Thanks Haru." She scratched her ear, having forgotten.

"Don't sweat it! You can return the purse and the dress tomorrow! Remember to empty you stuff out though – and, oh! You left your own clothes and bag at the shop… well, I'm sure you can take them back tomorrow too!" Haru replied cheerfully, although she sounded a bit tired as some of her words dragged out.

Before Tsuna could turn and head up her apartment block, Haru called out to her.

"Hey, you've just turned twenty right?"

"Eh? I wouldn't call it just. It was back in October…"

"Spare the small details, the _Coming of Age ceremony_ is this Monday, isn't it? Are you celebrating?"

"No, I don't think so. I don't have any formal… "At those words, Tsuna could spot a twitch of Haru's mouth and a glint of mischief in her eyes. "Eh! Er," Tsuna could not think of words to say, but she knew that there was no stopping Haru now. When she meant business, she meant it, oh boy she did.

"I'm declaring a break on Monday! You will celebrate it! Come by at eight, and you'll be all dressed up!"

"Like I'm saying, there's no need…"

"Nonsense! If Haru says you'll do it, you will!" There was no denying the truth to those words, so Tsuna just let out a puff, and conceded her defeat.

"I'll be seeing you then!"

"Bye…" Tsuna lifted a weak hand, watching as Haru's car sped off. She then wearily dragged herself up a flight of stairs, to her apartment on the third floor.

As Tsuna was approaching, she could see a large brown box placed outside the doorstep of her house. She quickened her pace, wondering what the mysterious package could be. However, it was only but a horrible surprise that awaited her.

"What the hell…" she murmured to herself, bending down and rummaging through the box. Inside were all her belongings – her clothes, amenities, and what little food supplies she had kept. Tsuna immediately got up again, rummaging her purse for her house keycard. The problem was, the lock had been changed, and when she tapped the reader, no matter how close the card was to it, the door was reluctant to open. The more she tried to press the card against the sensor, the more frantic her hands became – it got to the point where she was incessantly, and rather loudly, started banging on the door.

"Hello - ? Anybody in there? Hello!"

She could care less about waking the neighbours now – she just did not want to lose her home. Especially not when she had no one to turn to – she could not possibly bother Haru again for help, could she?

Finally, Tsuna gave up, running out of energy and the pressure in her head reaching its max. She pressed a hand to her head, her other hand clenching the key card in her fists tightly. It was scary; to have to stay out, and she was not even a woman, although she was twenty, but a girl in the darkness. There was so much out there, so many things – night was menacing and cold; there was no shelter from the snow – Tsuna's home had been taken from her.

"What's going on?" she whispered to herself. Tsuna could hear footsteps approaching. She made no effort to turn to look, however. Somehow, she knew that it was the landlady.

"I'm evicting you. You haven't paid your rent," the stern, deep and gruff voice. Tsuna turned around and looked at the plump and detestable lady. Thoughts ran through Tsuna's head, as she contemplated her next step. However, with her heart palpitating as it was, each thought ran past only as a fuzzy signal, impossible to make sense of. In the end, Tsuna tried to reason with her, deciding that it was the next best course of action.

"But, I don't have another place to stay!"

"Then go find one."

"I can pay your rent! I just haven't gotten my pay yet, so I'll give it to you at the end of the mon– …"

"Hah? It's the same as last time. I've given you your chances Sawada. You have to go. Take that box – shoo, go."

Tsuna could not believe her ears. She had heard of heartless, but this was far too much. The landlady could have offered her one more night, before day would break again and it would not be dangerous to go out alone. Being the meek and often bullied Tsuna, her willpower was already wavering, and she was already planning what to do next.

"You heard me, Sawada. Take – go."

"Please…"

"Go."

The word held the power of finality, and Tsuna understood that immediately. It was hard – to bend down and pick the heavy parcel up – in high heels, but Tsuna managed, with a loud grunt. She stumbled around for awhile, before managing to get on proper footing. She could hear the landlady snort like a satisfied pig, and footsteps signaling her departure, back into the sty where she lived.

* * *

"Unh!" Tsuna grunted, setting the heavy parcel down the pavement loudly. She could hear nothing but the crickets chirping loudly, and the sound of the spoilt lamppost flickering on and off in irregular intervals. She stayed on her feet, but they were starting to turn sore – Tsuna was not used to wearing the torture device known to women as "high-heels" – and they ached so much, she had half the mind to take them off and put them in the bin, had it not been Haru's.

What was the next course of action to take? Head down to the central? Sit in a bench and wait for dawn, perhaps. If she fell asleep, at least there would be patrolling Sentinel Androids to keep her safe on the streets. Even if it were partly risky Tsuna knew she had to head somewhere populated – it was dangerous of a young lady like her to be alone at night. She could dig an extra sum of money to rent a small room in a hotel in the central, to the very least.

"My luck is horrible…"

Tsuna picked up the parcel again, and began staggering along the pathway, down to the bus-stop 3 blocks away.

As she waited in the seats, sleep started to tempt her, her eyelids growing heavy and her head falling backwards every once in awhile, only to jolt her back to attention from the sheer shock of the back of her head coming into contact with cold, hard steel – then she became drowsy again, and the cycle would repeat itself. It was 11.45 by then, and the bus was minutes away from arriving, as Tsuna read from the digital screen. She decided that she would indeed head down to Namimori Central, and then she could choose her next course of action.

Tsuna looked up – little fluttering drops of snow began to fall onto the earth – they could not be seen, but she could feel it against her cold cheek, coming into contact with them, then floating off somewhere into oblivion. There were no stars in the sky – there never were stars. The sky remained a slate of grey and dirty pollution – only that it was a darker grey with a mix of dark blue when nightfall came. It was cloudless – the only "clouds" being the puffs of toxic air pollution.

After a moment of waiting, the bus came to a stop in front of her. Tsuna, with a load of effort, managed to clamber up the bus and settle down with the large package next to her. She could hear the doors close, before it went on its way.

As the scenery zoomed past, Tsuna was fighting a losing battle with sleep. Her eyelids drooped, and her body was screaming for rest. It was already midnight - few people were sat in the bus, especially since it ran pass the less-populated districts of the city. Soon, she – with her arms sprawled over the top of the package – lay her head back, and fell asleep.

It was only a moment later when she could hear the bus driver announcing the arrival of the bus at a foreign place – or at least, a place that Tsuna did not expect to be at. She had fallen asleep for thirty minutes, and missed her stop a long while ago. She panicked, frantically telling the bus driver to stop. She then grabbed her brown box, struggling with it – but only earning apathetic looks from the other tired commuters.

"Where is this…?" Tsuna looked around when she had gotten off, but could only see a row of posh condominiums standing tall before her, instead of the opposite bus stop she was hoping to spy. There was never a last bus, thankfully, as after eleven o'clock, most buses on the streets were driven by artificial intelligence – she could still afford to head back to where she came from.

"Eh?" She turned back, finally finding a map of the city on the digital projection at the side of the bus stop. Peering carefully, she could tell that she was of close proximity to the Vongola Mansion.

"Wait a second," she peered closely into the map again. "Ah! This is…" Tsuna pursed her lips for a moment, before rummaging through her purse for her wallet. She knew she kept a spare card-key, slotted into one of the wallet's card holders.

What Tsuna had remembered was that before she moved out, both she and Reborn had stayed in this condominium estate! It was not clear to her tired eyes at first. She still had access to the apartment as Reborn had left it to her in case anything would happen. She sighed in relief, glad that Reborn was rather intuitive – or rather, he had a lack of faith in his ward – having confidence that she would get into this sort of trouble, somehow. Before she had left the house, she told Reborn huffily that she would be independent – that she would not need it. Reborn had only given a derisive laugh, and told her to keep the access card, having a bet with her that she would definitely need it. It hurt her ego to have lost another challenge with Reborn, but dignity was not important now. It was finding a shelter from this uncertain darkness that held priority over one's pride.

Tsuna immediately set off for the apartment. She could still remember the floor they had used to live on, and the apartment number – she located the front door quite easily. What greeted her was an empty shoe rack outside, in the corridor. Memories came flushing past back to Tsuna – how there used to be pairs of neatly arranged shoes in the shoe rack, for Reborn would have it in no other state.

Tsuna pressed the keycard against the door's scanner, and then another button next to it. The button activated a few invisible security sensors to ascertain that it was the real resident of the house that was opening the door. A second went past, before the light on the scanner turned green, and the door unlocked itself.

She turned on the lights, pleased to see that the house seemed untouched, even if a little more empty than previously. One thing irked her though – it was how well the house had been maintained when no one had been living in it for ages. The floor was still squeaky clean, and was newly polished. When Tsuna had walked past the bathroom to the right side of the corridor, she found that the sink was still wet and recently used.

Tsuna set the box down with a huge thump, before rubbing her sore arms and taking in the surroundings. The living room was as neat as ever; the television – only just a thin slide of glass – sat right in front of the glass windows. Every other part of the house was spotless.

"Welcome back, No-Good Tsuna," a low voice shot out, ruining the silent atmosphere.

"Hiek! Reborn!"

It came from Tsuna's left, where there was a dark room with a partially opened door. Tsuna could make out the edges of a fedora.

"Is that how you're going to greet me, Reborn?"

"So, how much do you owe me? That bet," he stepped out, revealing his whole body to Tsuna. Reborn was tall and built, sporting an expensive black suit and an odd orange fedora on his head. His fedora often shadowed those dark and cunning eyes of his – it made many fear the man upon first impressions.

_Is that what you think of when you see your ward for the first time in months?_

Tsuna tried to resist the urge to place her palm on her face, triumphant in her efforts. It was then that she felt a rough shove from the back.

"Ow!"

"Welcome back, stupid-Tsuna. I won that bet – mind you. Don't run away from it now,"

"Reborn! I wasn't – wait! How did you come from the back?"

"That was just a holographic projection, idiot."

"Ehhh? And, what's with the spotless house? You hate cleaning!"

"Cleaning I hate indeed, but there's nothing wrong in hiring a robot to do it for me."

Tsuna bit her lip. She did not like those cleaning robots – they just made life too convenient sometimes, and added on even more to its artificiality. Then again, it was the year 2100 – where people cared more for convenience as their time quickly grew scarce.

Reborn was holding a wine glass in his hand, swirling it around for a bit before downing the entire thing. He set it down onto the coffee table, folding his arms as he eyed Tsuna.

"So, what brings you back? I'm sure it's nothing like… getting kicked out of your old apartment," he smirked. Tsuna could feel a bead of sweat roll down the side of her head. He was obviously mocking her!

"Wh-Whatever! Anyway, I just need a place to stay. My room is unoccupied, right?"

Reborn was now sat in the soft cushions of the sofa. He was looked at the television screen for awhile, and then turned his head to address Tsuna.

"It depends on what you mean by occupied."

Tsuna immediately did not like the sound of that. She rushed off in the direction of the rooms. Reborn shook his leg as he awaited her reaction – a loud, long shriek.

"Reborn! What the hell is this?" Tsuna came out of the room, carrying a costume frog's head in her hand.

"Disguise."

"No one is going to fall for this! And I want my room back!"

"Then work for your room."

"You're telling me to clean that all? By tonight?"

"Well, if you don't mind sleeping on the couch, it's up to you…"

Tsuna gave a sigh of defeat. It was far too late to start cleaning up the room, so she definitely would have to sleep in the living room that night. At least though, she had a place to stay again.

"Then, it's my turn to ask you. What are you doing back in Namimori? And you didn't even tell me!"

"I thought I might surprise you."

"Surprise? What do you – …"

"You're awfully spineless. It's fun." Tsuna did not have a rebuttal to those words, so she gave a sigh of defeat.

"So? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was busy… with work."

"With the Vongola?" Tsuna said, taking a seat next to Reborn.

"Yes."

"Oh – speaking of the Vongola…" Tsuna hesitated for a bit, wondering if it was wise to mention Mukuro. After all, he had spoken of Reborn with such a vile tone, it was hard not to notice that he harboured a sort of enmity towards him. Would Reborn bear the same emotions too?

" – Never mind."

"What is it? Spit it out."

"I said, never mind."

"Say it."

"Ah – " Tsuna tried to think of what to say.

"I, uh, you, do…" words fumbled about in her mind, coming out of her mouth unwittingly.

"Speak a proper language, will you?"

Tsuna had no choice. She could not think of a way to cover up, so she just decided to ask what she had originally intended to.

"Do you know someone by the name of… Rokudo Mukuro-san?" she asked. Reborn seemed to stiffen a bit when he heard the name – Tsuna immediately noticed this.

"You're his fan?" Tsuna could tell, somehow, that his question was unrelated to what he wanted to know. Although Reborn very easily hid lies and hid body language, in a few off-chances was she able to guess what he was up to.

"Yes! I'm his fan! I'd – really like to meet him one day!" she lied.

Reborn snorted. And then, he laughed.

"I never expected you to be the type to like…"

"I have my interests too!" Tsuna argued back indignantly.

"Alright, I'll arrange for you to see him one day," Reborn said, trying to restrain another surge of laughter.

"N-No, I don't want to inconvenience you!" Tsuna started to shake her hands in front of her. She definitely did not want to meet up with Mukuro! Especially that it would be embarrassing for Mukuro to think that she, of all people, was his "fan"!

"I'm sure he has plenty of time," Reborn told her, getting up. "I'm going to bed now."

"Eh! No! But – I – "

"Good night."

"G-Good night."

Reborn shut the door tight behind him, taking off his fedora and coat and throwing both the items to a side of the room. He then snorted sardonically.

_Don't think you can lie to me, Tsuna._

* * *

**A/N: **I. Am. An. Idiot. Apologies to any confusion caused by the weird dating…I forgot that the 22nd century started in 2101 and not 2100, so I changed the summary. A longer explanation of this can be found on chapter 1.

Anyway, on to the chapter…I don't really like this chapter. The movement of events seemed very rushed and I spent a long time on thinking of how to make it any more realistic, then failed miserably. It will be nice to receive feedback regarding this, and I would really appreciate it. (Especially I wrote this chapter half asleep again…there's bound to be a giant butt mistake here.)

This chapter is…just a little longer than the other chapters. I hadn't updated in two weeks, good god, so I am apologizing to you guys about the late update too.


	11. Chapter 11: One Thousand Cranes

**Chapter 11: One Thousand Cranes**

* * *

"_Hey. Did you know? Did you know that if you folded a thousand cranes, your wishes will come true?" The Girl said as she crawled up to the dark haired boy. She huddled up, her scrawny knees squeezing tightly against her chest._

"_Really? A thousand cranes?"_

"_Yes, a thousand cranes! I heard the story from Father. It goes like this – " _

"_Wait. So, did you really fold cranes?" A nod._

"_How many?"_

"_Ahah! Just ten, only ten!" The Girl said cheerfully, sticking up her ten stubby fingers. She smiled brightly._

"_That's a long way to go. Here – do we have paper? I'll help you. You're too weak to finish them all by yourself."_

"_I can do this!" The Girl puffed her cheeks up. _

"_You just recovered from a fever. Oh, let's do this together." The Girl smiled brightly again at the proposition. She got up cheerfully, running up to the drawers and taking a pile of papers out. _

"_Oof!"_

"_Hey, watch it. Here – I'll help you," the Boy got up on his feet as well and scurried across the room to help her. _

"_Ugh…" _

"_Eh? Are you alright?"_

"_There's an awful buzzing in my head. It's getting louder," the Girl dropped the pile of papers, clutching her head in her palms. _

"_Are you okay? Are you – "_

Tsuna awoke abruptly. She could hear a loud, urgent buzzing in her ears. Taking a few seconds to recollect her thoughts, she immediately pressed the "connect" button on the tiny communication device attached to her ear. It was convenient to the very least – one could forget to bring their phones along with them, but was still able to have a handy communicator that was linked to their cell phone just in case. It was also very handy when one's hands were fully occupied.

"Tsuna-kun! Oh, dear lord, Tsuna-kun! Don't scare Haru like that. I went to your apartment this morning to get you to try on some costumes – the landlady said you weren't there. Oh, god! I thought you had gotten abducted or something! Where are you? Haru's coming to save you!"

Tsuna immediately flinched at the string of words that were strung along a long, endless thread – at the end of Haru's speech, she could only produce a confused grumble.

"Aaagh?"

She then heard Haru's cell phone being taken from her, albeit with a few cries of protest in the background. This time, a familiar and missed voice came onto the communicator.

"Hello? Tsuna-san! I-Pin here. Are you safe?"

"Y-Yeah. I'm safe. What's Haru going on about?"

"She's very worried. I got a call in the maid's resting lounge this morning – Miss Miura sounded really urgent. She asked if you were around, but you weren't. Then she told me that you were abducted, so I rushed all the way down to the address that she gave me. Thank god you're safe though! Don't give us a heart attack. What's happened to you?"

Tsuna was still groggy, having not fully awakened yet. She shoved the blanket off herself, jumping a little when her feet met the cold marble flooring. She picked up her phone and checked the time.

"Oh no!" It was already one in the afternoon – Tsuna was incredibly late for work!

"Hello? Tsuna-san? Are you still there?"

"Uh, yeah. Sorry I-Pin! I got evicted last night – so I ended up wandering and by some coincidence, ended up back in my old home. You two go back to work first – this apartment is really close to the Vongola mansion. I'll be right over in thirty minutes!"

"Ahh? But the land there is expensive! Exclusive, even! Tsuna-san, you can't be one of those fairytale princesses who work as scullery maids and turn out to have royalty in their blood, could you?"

"That doesn't matter! Crap, I'm really late now – I've got to go. Bye!"

"Wait, Tsu – "

By then, Tsuna had already disconnected the call, quickly folding the blanket up and stuffing it to the side. She went over to her box of personal belongings, digging through it for her toothbrush and work outfit – and then went through a hurried shower. All this she managed to do within a record time of ten minutes. When she had gotten out of the bathroom, she found some watery scrambled eggs as well as overcooked sausages – and a note with elegant handwriting next to it.

"_Didn't cook this – the robot did. – Reborn."_

Tsuna smiled at the note, picking up a fork. She then stabbed one of the crispy sausages, raising it to her nose and giving it a quick whiff. She nibbled a bit of it – shuddering as she chewed the horribly cooked breakfast. It did not help at all that it was rather cold by then.

"You should really know better than to blame your cooking on the poor robot, Reborn," she chuckled. It was one of those rare acts of affection that Reborn performed for her – unfortunately, Reborn, being Reborn, refused to admit this soft side of his, always putting the fault on some other object for his terrible culinary skills. What he did not know was that Tsuna knew – and appreciated – the gesture. She picked up the plate, emptying its contents into a lunchbox before stuffing it into her extra bag – the other one had been left at Haru's office. Tsuna then ran off, a coat slung over her shoulders.

* * *

When Tsuna approached the gates, she was huffing and puffing, trying to regain her breath. She heard her name being called from the distance.

"Tsuna-san!"

"Tsuna-kun!"

Two different voices called out to her simultaneously. Tsuna looked up – she saw I-Pin and Haru getting out of the red car, running towards her.

"Haru! I-Pin! Sorry for being late!" Tsuna willed herself to run a little further, but being her careless self, she stumbled over a crack in the pavement, falling down flat on her face. She felt two pairs of hands, each grabbing her left and right arms to help her out.

"Careful, Tsuna-san. You're really careless," I-Pin spoke to her in a chiding tone.

"Ha-hi! You can't scare Haru like that again! You're not permitted to!"

"I guess I'll try," Tsuna muttered. However, she felt very guilty about worrying her two friends. Clasping her hands together, she bowed to the two of them.

"Sorry for worrying you guys! It was a sudden move – so I couldn't really inform you. I think we should really get to work now, I-Pin. It's already one forty-five – I'm going to get skewered!"

"It's alright – I explained to Master Yamamoto. He looked a bit anxious too when I told him what happened, but I guess it worked out!"

"Anyway – I've got to go back to handle some documents. I'll head back now – oh, and, why don't you stop by my place for dinner tonight? I still need to fit you into some costumes," Haru said.

"I really appreciate the gesture, but – "

"No buts! See you tonight!" Haru turned, running back to the car. There was no such thing as rejection in her dictionary, was there? In any case, Tsuna decided that it was about time that they should get to work. She drew a long breath.

"Oh well, let's go in to work," she said, taking out the lunchbox from her bag. "I'll eat on the way."

"Wow, Tsuna-san. That takes a lot of skill, doesn't it?"

"Not really," she replied, popping off the lunchbox's cap. I-Pin took a peep at its contents.

"I have more dumplings back at the lounge – I think it's safer for your stomach – "she immediately said upon looking at the food

"It's alright, I-Pin. But this is really delicious, though it doesn't look like it. It has a special ingredient inside."

"Special ingredient? In this simple dish?"

Tsuna laughed again, picking up a half-eaten sausage and popping it into her mouth.

"Yup! It's something like the special ingredient in those dumplings of yours, but different."

I-Pin looked a bit eager to know by now, listening intently to Tsuna.

"What is it?"

"Love."

* * *

Tsuna had indeed finished her meal by the time they reached the lounge. She set her bag down, taking off her coat at the same time.

"Right! It's time to do some work. What are you going to do first, I-Pin?"

"I'm not sure. I could give the windows a little scrub – or mop the floors. You, however, should not forget your duties. All the masters are home today, but they're probably out of their rooms. Take this opportunity to clean their rooms up."

Tsuna frowned slightly. She had wanted to work with I-Pin, and she had so many questions to ask – particularly regarding _disappearance. _So far, nothing major had happened to her after that encounter with Mukuro, but she was not about to take any chances. Was I-Pin lying when she said it was a joke? Deep down in her heart, she honestly hoped that it was.

"Oh, and wait – can you set this down on Lambo's desk when you're in his room? He needs it a lot."

I-Pin passed her a small storage chip.

"No problem."

Bidding a farewell to I-Pin and a promise to meet up again after work, Tsuna dutifully set off in the direction of Lambo's room. She flipped the chip over, wondering what Lambo would have needed in the storage chip, especially from I-Pin. Before Tsuna knew it, she was standing outside Lambo's closed door, staring at the little chip in her hand. She raised a hand to give it a few solid knocks.

"Lambo-san? Are you in, Lambo-san?"

"Ah – yes. Is it the maid? Just press the button and come in."

Tsuna looked to her right-hand side and found a button. She realized then that Lambo's room was the only room in the entire mansion that used a mechanized door. The rest of the band members had traditional wooden doors that lead their room, and even Reborn did not like the notion of having a mechanized door in the apartment. Too gaudy, he had said it was. Many people switched from traditional doors to those automatic ones over the past few decades, but there were still quite a few who preferred the old way of, well, swinging the door open themselves.

The door slid open, and Tsuna stepped in. She found Lambo lounging on his sofa, playing some games on the latest portable gaming console.

"Uh – I-Pin told me to deliver this chip to you…"

"Oh yeah, my homework from Friday. Just put it down on the desk and you can start cleaning the room," he said lazily, pointing towards his desk while keeping most of his attention still on the game.

_Homework? They're classmates? _Another question to ask I-Pin now.

Tsuna did as she was told, then went on to tidy the room up. By four thirty, she had finished clearing up all the rooms that she needed to. She stretched upon closing Gokudera's room's door, giving a nice, long heave of satisfaction and relief.

"Oh! Sawada! You're safe!" Tsuna turned her head and found herself looking up to face Yamamoto.

"Ah, Yamamoto-san. It was just a false alarm by Haru. You shouldn't really worry about me."

"Oh, that's great. Thank goodness!"

"Is there anything you would like me to do?" Yamamoto scratched his head a bit, before revealing the guitar case that had hid behind his back.

"Ahaha! I guess you knew I had a motive behind calling you out again. Well, actually, Hibari left his guitar back at the practice room – trust him to be so muddle headed – and I can't find him anywhere. I have to… go somewhere now."

"Ah – I'll deliver it to him when I see him," Tsuna stretched her hands out, gingerly taking it into her arms.

"Thanks, Sawada! If you can't find him, then just enter his room and put it in the cupboard nearest to the bathroom. If he makes any noise, just tell him I told you to. Well then, I'll be going!" Yamamoto ran off in the opposite direction. He seemed to be asking her for favours all the time – then running off. Tsuna did not mind though – it was her job as a maid after all.

"Oh, yeah! Wait!" He stopped in his tracks before he ran too far.

"Eh?"

"I need your help with one more thing."

"You can ask me for help with anything," Tsuna smiled.

"You're coming to work tomorrow right?"

"Y-Yeah. That's true…" What was he getting at? Tsuna wondered.

"Right – I'll tell you tomorrow then – just don't wear that maid costume of yours to work. Bye!" And then, Yamamoto was on his way again. When he had gone, Tsuna realized the implications of the task left upon her.

_Wait…Enter Hibari-san's room? _

Tsuna ventured down the hallways, turning at various corners and trying hard to locate Hibari's room. He apparently disliked herd behavior a lot, so his room was isolated, far from the rest of the rooms. Even if Tsuna was shy and socially incapable, Hibari was a much more anti-social man than her. So how he had managed to capture the hearts of many of his fans was a mystery to Tsuna. Then again, she thought, girls tended to fall for the "cool and aloof" type of boys as well. That would probably explain Hibari's unique charm.

She finally located his room on the far side of the mansion, knocking on it once, then twice, and finally thrice. She remembered that she was not supposed to be going in, despite Yamamoto saying that she could, but she also figured that the guitar was probably a very expensive one, and it would not bode well for her to leave it just outside his room. What if it got taken away by accident? Then Tsuna would really have to take the blow.

There was no reply from the inside, so Tsuna was at loss of what to do. Could she risk it? Just take the guitar, stuff it into his cupboard and quickly run out. She had barely escaped with her skin when she got into trouble with Mukuro though. Hibari's temper, or so she heard, was supposedly far worse than Mukuro's.

Finally, Tsuna decided that she did not want to stand outside waiting anymore. She opened the door slowly after testing that it was not locked, and then peeped through the small cracks. There was a fragrant smell of soap and shampoo wafting in the air – it seemed as though someone had just taken a shower and left. Once she made sure that there was not a single person in there, she snuck in quickly on her tip-toes, opening the cupboard nearest to his bathroom. She quickly put it in the almost empty cupboard – but the only other item in there caught her eye.

A string of a thousand cranes.

* * *

**A/N: **I realize I always make Yamamoto randomly pop up to give errands to Tsuna. Gonna have to let go of that weird habit of mine – but I really had to this time since it was really important D=

Anyway, another quick and rather short update (I actually wrote this 1 day after I did chapter 10, but it needed a lot more polishing as I had to revise my planning for this story) before I charge into test war zone. I have a lot of projects coming up as well – but I won't say that this will be on hiatus though. I'll still find time to write it =)


	12. Chapter 12: Lies

**Chapter 12: Lies and Consequences**

* * *

"Eh?"

Tsuna stared at the string for awhile. It had to be a coincidence, right? Nothing more than a mere chanced upon occurrence. There was absolutely no connection of it to her dream. None, none at all. She put a palm to her forehead, before pinching it a little, checking if her mind was still linked to reality.

_I'd better get out of here before Hibari-san gets back._

Tsuna closed the cupboard, and with soft and swift steps, walked out of the room as fast as she could. When she closed the door, she leaned against it for awhile, giving a sigh of relief. She had managed to make it out of there alive.

"Oi."

Tsuna's head immediately shot up, only to face a pair of cold and merciless eyes bearing right back into hers. She, who had been sighing so deeply before, took a sharp breath, almost causing her to choke on her saliva.

"Hi-Hi-Hibari…-san," she stuttered. How would she explain the situation? She could not expect him to believe anything other than the fact that she had stepped into the room. She was leaning against the door, after all. Yamamoto-san had told her to inform Hibari that it was an order he had given to her, but even so, with someone as ruthless as Hibari, such an excuse probably would not work – and she would get Yamamoto-san into trouble anyway.

"You're in my way."

"A-ah! Yes!" Tsuna scrambled aside, bowing deeply as Hibari opened the door. It looked as though he was going to let it slide, until he paused while turning the doorknob. He blinked once, then twice, finally turning to the still bowing Tsuna.

"You went in."

It was not even a question that Tsuna could answer to. It was a blunt statement, an accusation that was quite accurate. She squeezed her eyes tight, still bowing low, not daring to face Hibari-san.

"I – I - … it was unlocked, and… Yamamoto-san…" she found herself saying.

"I'll kill him."

_Hieeek! I hadn't even completed his sentence! And he's already going out to commit murder? This person is ruthless! _Tsuna cranked her neck up a bit, just to see the wrath of Hibari-san staring right back at her.

"N-No! Please don't! Yamamoto had…told me to look for you with the guitar, but it was my fault that I didn't bother searching the mansion before going into your room! It was entirely my fault!" She had decided to bear all the blame on herself. After all, what good would it do to cause trouble for the one resident who was so nice to her? Despite being afraid, she had made up her mind to chalk up whatever little courage she had left. Her legs were shaking, even though she tried to will them not to.

_I've gone through worse. Mukuro-san is more intimidating than this. _

But why was he? In a moment of contemplation, Tsuna realized she feared Hibari less than she feared Mukuro. Yet, Hibari's rage was greater than his. Was it the fact that Mukuro always smiled all the time? Or, was it… the fact that she could see a black aura that seemed to envelope his very self all the time? There was something inherently sinister that lay within him. No, Tsuna thought. That could not be it – she saw colours on words and tasted sounds – but not this. She did not simply _see _emotions.

"Oya, Midget-san. I've been looking all over for you. It seems like you can't keep out of trouble, can you?"

A sly grin, a playful voice – Mukuro stood casually, leaning against the wall, a silhouette cast over his body. Tsuna could feel Hibari react a bit, his body shifting a little as he slowly turned his head to the side.

"Anyway, _Kyouya-chan,_ I'll be taking the Midget away with me now. You can do whatever you would like to do to her afterwards, ahem –," Mukuro coughed suggestively as he glided across the floor. He grabbed Tsuna's hand quickly, before tugging her forward – right into his chest. It was then Tsuna found herself mentally shrieking and fast turning a brilliant red. Was he… was he hugging her? She could feel the tension growing further, and Hibari releasing a heavy breath.

A second ticked by.

"WH-WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING?" Tsuna struggled about within Mukuro's hold, using all her might to push against his chest. She heard an amused snort in the background.

"Hypocrite."

It was the final word said before Tsuna heard the slam of the door. Mukuro finally released her, smiling cheekily.

"Why, Midget. You should be really happy about this. "

"H-Happy! Are you joking? Just because you're good looking doesn't warrant you the right to touch girls as and when you like!"

Mukuro's mouth curved into a mocking pout.

"But Reborn said that you were my fan! Either way, I did that for self-defense, so don't think too much about it, though, you should have seen his reaction. Hysterical."

"Don't use me as your meat shield! And besides, I never said… "

Tsuna's voice trailed off when she had just remembered what she said the night before. She had been really careless about it! It served her right after all. If Mukuro and Reborn were at loggerheads, then so be it. Why did she care so much anyway?

_Why?_

"He said that a useless acquaintance of his was interested in knowing me – I could guess immediately that it was you. I only know of one other worthless lackey he has anyway, and that person already knows me," Mukuro continued. He took hold of Tsuna's wrist and guided her back down the hallway.

_Wait, am I only a useless acquaintance in your eyes, Reborn?_

"Kufufu," Mukuro seemed to read Tsuna's mind. "He tends tends not to acknowledge the fact that he has family. Who could imagine him as cuddly and loving?"

Tsuna shivered when he answered the question. This person was incredibly and eerily accurate. Mukuro made a sharp turn around a corner, causing Tsuna's shoulder to bump into the wall.

"Ow!"

"We're here," was all he said in reply.

"Huh?"

Tsuna snapped back into reality – situational awareness was not so much of her forte. The room Mukuro had lead her into was a simple, but elegant tea room – one rarely seen nowadays. A large wall-sized window sprawling from one end to another and velvet curtains hanging at the sides, neatly drawn up; several polished tables with a simple vase of flowers placed at the center of each and soft cushioned chairs. At the side of the room were a simple counter with a sink and an electric kettle, and many different types of skillfully made tea sets by their side.

"Well, the reason I was truly looking for you was because I wanted tea." It took a moment for Tsuna to process what he had just said, before resisting the urge to keel over and pray for the sake of humanity.

"You know, Mukuro-san. You didn't really have to go all the way…"

"I enjoy having tea in this room. That is all," he gave a smile that told her not to question his decision any further.

"So, what would you like?"

"Manure tea."

"No joking. You aren't a plant."

"Okay, okay. Milk Thistle," with that, Mukuro sauntered across the room to settle himself comfortably into one of the cushions. Tsuna walked towards the counter and started boiling the water.

Tapping her fingers on the counter softly, she spared a few glances at Mukuro's back. It was him who looked back at her first and broke the silence.

"By the way, Midget. Do you still have that Byaku-bastard's contact card?"

" Byaku-bastard?" Tsuna asked, albeit in a rather flat tone. By then, the water was already boiling, so she unplugged the kettle.

"The white-haired idiot. You know, from yesterday."

Tsuna put a tea cup in the tray, along with the teapot that was full with the milk thistle. She gingerly picked it up and walked towards Mukuro.

"Ah, him? I believe I do… I think I saw it when I was clearing out my purse. Eh, where did I put it again?" she was now bent over the table next to Mukuro, pouring the tea carefully so as not to spill any. When she was done, she got up again, holding the tea cup in her hand to serve it to him.

"Why?"

"If you find it, burn it."

_This person is harsh! No way am I going to do that!_

"Listen, Midget. He only wants –" Mukuro said, standing up. However, it was too swift an action, and Tsuna ended up bumping into him with the hot tea. The cup fell to the ground and broke, the milk thistle tea spilling all over the carpet and unfortunately, Tsuna.

"Hieee - ! Hot! Hot!" she cried, patting the liquid on her chest and arm in a desperate attempt to get it off. She then realized the shattered cup on the floor was all over the place, and the carpet, sullied.

"Oh! Oh no!" Tsuna pushed her attention from the pain of her scalded hands to the expensive tea cup that lay scattered and broken. She scrambled to pick them all up, but in her haste, it made a deep cut in her hand, forcing her to release all the pieces once again as the wound stung her. It was bleeding profusely, but Tsuna attempted to pick up the pieces again when a hand reached out to grab her wrist, stopping her.

"I'll clean this up. Go look for a change of clothes and wash the cut," Mukuro said. It was a tone that held no concern, but more of obligation, for he was the one who had indirectly caused the accident.

"No! I have to clean this up first… oh no, the cup looked so expensive!" Tsuna said worriedly. However, Mukuro's hold on her wrist tightened, and he looked at her directly – and then, in an unsuspected move, smiled.

"I said, go, Midget."

Something about the smile unnerved Tsuna – she immediately stood up and complied, running out of the room as quickly as her legs could carry her. When Mukuro could no longer hear her footsteps, he resumed the job, picking up each piece of glass with no trouble.

He was soon done with the job, depositing the glass into a bin nearby. At the same time, he grabbed a cup and poured himself more tea, waiting for Tsuna to get back to clean it up. As he sipped it with satisfaction, he raised his left hand to touch the side of his nape.

_That scar of yours, Midget. It is not dissimilar to mine._

_

* * *

_I-pin was surprised to find an agonized-looking Tsuna burst through the door, clutching her right hand tightly. She got up quickly, running to Tsuna to see what the matter was. What met her sight was a swollen and red arm, along with a deep cut in the palm with blood running and dripping from it.

"Tsuna-san! Sit down, I'll go get the first-aid kit!" I-pin then scurried around the room, looking for that simple white box.

"Where is it…I swear I put it here last…Ah hah! Found it!" she yelled in victory, pulling out the box with a plain red cross on it. She set it down on the table, rummaging through it to look for gauze and disinfectant.

"What happened, Tsuna-san?" she asked worriedly. Tsuna replied with a sheepish laugh.

"I was being careless while serving tea to Mukuro-san. Ow - !" she cried as I-pin pressed the disinfectant-covered gauze against her cut, swiping at the wound as gently as she could to remove the blood. When she had cleaned off the blood, she took out another piece of gauze and told Tsuna to hold it there, while she went to look for an ice pack.

"Ah – those sort of injuries do happen, I guess," she said, returning with the pack. She put it carefully on Tsuna's arm before turning her attention to the cut.

"Yeah, it does happen especially to me. I wonder how I even survived my twentieth birthday, ehehe…"

"There! All done," I-pin clapped her hands together when she finished putting on the bandage. "Tsuna-san, you should learn to be more careful next time!" she said in a chiding tone. Tsuna nodded.

"Oh yeah, I'll need to get you a change of clothes too…do you mind wearing the normal brown uniform instead? You'll catch a cold in those."

"It's no problem. Thank you, I-pin," Tsuna smiled. She leaned back, staring out of the window to the honey coloured sky. It was already evening – and it looked like it was going to be a cold night. Snow drops fluttered down; it had just begun to fall

"Ah, there aren't any extra dresses here. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to lend you my clothes. I can go home in these anyway," I-pin suddenly said. She walked over to her bag, digging through it for her plastic bag of clothes. When she found it, she put it on Tsuna's lap.

"Go change, quickly."

"Thank you, I-pin," Tsuna beamed gratefully.

That night, Reborn found himself spitting out his wine and laughing at a nonplussed Tsuna.

"There's nothing funny about this!" she squealed, clasping her bag tightly.

"You can never stay out of trouble, can you?" Reborn chose to ignore her statement. He then lifted a white card, flashing it to her. "By the way, I'm curious. What's this?"

"Ah – that's – " Tsuna walked forward to take a better look at it.

"Oh, Byakuran's card," she said. She had not taken a good look at it before, but now that she had, she realized that there was only a number written on it.

"Huh, he said that there was an address on it though…"

"I'm burning it."

_Same reaction as Mukuro! _

Reborn reached into his pocket and found a lighter, and was about to light it when Tsuna scrambled forward to try grab the card from him. She missed and ended up being a limp sack lying on the ground before Reborn.

"I'll get rid of it myself, Reborn! Don't burn it! You'll burn down the entire apartment!"

"I'm not you, Tsuna," he said teasingly; but his eyes told a different story. It gleamed in a certain rage the Tsuna could not understand.

"One thing interests me though – how do you know him?"

Tsuna only found herself at a loss of words – she had to reveal that she was working under the Vongola as well – and that she had lied before.

* * *

**A/N: **Ahaha, while writing this chapter, I realised two things:

i) I want to hit Hibari with a banana

ii) I want to hit myself with a banana

(Removing long, long A/N since I assume everyone I talked to read it)


	13. Chapter 13: Summer

**Chapter 13: Summer**

**

* * *

**For the second time in a row, Tsuna awoke to a loud buzzing sound in her ear.

"Nnngh…"

She got up slowly, careful not to put any pressure on her injured palm as she did so. Fumbling about in the darkness for her phone, she felt her hand brush against a slender and long object, knocking it off.

The object so happened to be her phone, and as it fell to the floor, it snapped open, a bright, holographic screen flashing from the side. The word "Miura" was projected, big and bold. The buzzing was now more impatient than ever, but at three in the morning, no one could blame Tsuna for having a horrible reaction time. She picked up the phone and answered it.

"Haru…there's something very important in my life. It's sacred, it's holy, and it's what keeps me living. It's called sleep," she mumbled into the phone, swaying back and forth. Her body threatened to give way any time and force her back into slumber land.

"Tsuna-kun! You forgot our dinner! Oh, I prepared so many cute outfits and, and… I thought you were abducted!"

"Thank you for your concern…" Tsuna paused to yawn, "but I'm alright."

"Ha-hi! Anyway! You simply have to stop by the shop before you go to work! We need to find you an outfit!" Behind those words, Tsuna could already feel an unspeakable horror waiting for her.

"Good night!"

Before Tsuna could say anything else, Haru had put down the phone. She snapped her phone close again – the holographic screen flashed off, returning the room into a dark and silent state. What a convenient object, Tsuna thought. Reborn had gotten her a new phone for apparently no reason. It was not an extravagant phone; it was just a conventional _Slimphone. _Convenient, because it was in all technicality, two conjoined sticks that snapped open and close and could be carried everywhere. Its screen, like most other phones, was projected at the side – along with the key pad. Not extravagant, because it just had a few basic functions Tsuna required – to call and to send messages.

Tsuna was explicably tired. After injuring herself in the day, getting into all sorts of nonsense with Mukuro and Hibari, she only got home to find out that the ploy was up. No, the ploy was up a long time ago, she thought. Reborn would know – after raising her for such a long time and an unmatched sixth sense, he definitely would know she was lying to him before. He just did not confront her about it – why?

When she managed to force an explanation out of herself, Reborn was not angry at all. Or at least, she could not sense any form of anger from him. Instead of chiding her as she had expected, he only remained in quiet, deep thought. This was more tiring than being scolded; it was unexplainable behavior coming from one as malevolent as Reborn, and it took a lot of energy to try figure his reaction out, but to no avail.

It took but five minutes before he could speak again.

"_Quit."_

"_Excuse me?"_

"_Quit your job." _

Tsuna did not know how else _to _react to that. All that was left of that night was a stifling tension.

No, she did not want to quit her job. Sure, it had only been but a week – but the people who worked with her, the people she worked for…they had all warmed her up inside. And the trial, oh, the trial. She had not even gotten close to completing it yet! Only a quarter ways through and already she was forced to quit? No, Tsuna was sure – she was going to do something well for once in her life, whether it was making tea or making beds.

Tsuna fell back into bed, shutting her eyes tight. She had no direction in life, no goal. Why would Reborn prevent her from doing the one thing she had found? Did he find a job as a maid humiliating? Well, he was definitely not the one wearing an apron or a black dress anyway (and he would end up burning down the mansion anyway). So why bother?

Questions, so many questions swirled in her mind and finally it settled on one other word he had said.

"Dangerous."

_Dangerous? Dangerous? _Had he thought that she would kill herself on the job? Was washing plates so jeopardous? Surely not! It was just a befalling of misfortune that had caused her to sustain injuries. But, if not that, then what was it?

"Aaaagh! Don't want to think!" she flipped over, frustrated.

"Then don't."

"I can't!"

Tsuna froze for many seconds – then her instinct kicked in and she shot up from the bed.

"What the – …"

"Yo, Tsuna-chan! Or shall I call you Tsu-chan? Both sound cute enough though…"

What Tsuna saw was the card – charred from Reborn's attempt to burn it to complete crisp, but otherwise still in its original shape. She had taken the card from him, finally, and decided that she would dispose of it the following morning.

She saw something else though. An image of a figure sitting by her desk in white smiled at her with a foxy grin. He had a tattoo under an eye and a chin rested upon slender fingers. She only knew too well who this person was.

"I forgot to tell you, Tsu-chan. My card can't be that easily destroyed because I made it so. It acts as a temporary communication device – cool, isn't it?"

_Cool! More like creepy! And you're infringing on my privacy!_

"It's n-not cool! Not cool at all! I'd…like to get some sleep!"

"You'll get plenty of sleep after you answer my question."

"Huh? Question?"

"What say you about leaving as a maid and joining my company?"

Tsuna sighed. Truthfully, she had not given his offer much thought. She had not known what she would be doing there anyway, and honestly, she was having an almost good time working at the mansion – other than the pets that scared her so much, and perhaps the eccentric personalities, she honestly enjoyed the company of Haru, I-Pin and even Yamamoto-san. Of course, they were really nice to her – it would be hard to leave them behind. Besides, earlier on, she had already decided to continue working there, despite Reborn's objection.

"No. I reject your offer. I'm s-sorry..but," she looked at Byakuran, "I'm happy where I am at the moment. So, please…l-leave."

A flash of brief outrage came across Byakuran's face before it returned to his regular expression.

"Even if I'll double, triple, or even quadruple your pay?" he said slowly.

"No, I'm afraid not…"

There was only further silence in the room. Nothing betrayed Byakuran's show of good humour.

"Well, then. Looks like the time I have on this line is almost expiring. Don't worry; the card will be a normal card after this. If you do change your mind though, feel free to give that number a call, okay? Well then, goodbye, Tsu-chan!"

Tsuna had spared a blink, and by then, Byakuran's image was gone.

* * *

Three hours later and Tsuna was once again awoken by the nudging of the house keeper – or house robot.

"Please wake up, mistress Tsuna."

"Five more…five more minutes…" she moaned softly.

"No, mistress. A lady named Haru is waiting for you in the living room."

This time, she jolted up, as though a bolt of lightning had hit her.

"Wait, what?"

After about ten minutes, Tsuna rushed out of the bathroom to find Haru, true to the robot's words, sitting by the table, having a cup of tea it had prepared for her.

"Ha-Haru-san! W-What in the world!"

"Oh! Good morning Tsuna! I thought that, it might be better if I came over instead, in case you got abducted along the way! And look!"

Haru pointed to the large luggage she had behind her.

"A full case of cute clothes I specially made for Tsuna to wear! Come, come! Tomorrow's going to be – " she cut off suddenly as she finally spotted the red patch on Tsuna's arm and the bandage around her palm.

"What happened! Haru will never forgive the person who caused such harm to you! Never! Who did it?" she exclaimed, jumping up to grab the victim's arm. She glared at it for many seconds before letting it go.

"No! It was my doing…I accidentally spilt some tea and broke the glass," Tsuna did not like to mention Mukuro's name either. She definitely did not want to hear Haru rambling on about him for the rest of the morning, and she would have misunderstood it to be his fault. It would lead to a lifetime grudge, considering how Haru was already getting rather annoyed by him.

"Oh! Well, I could never hold a grudge against you for hurting yourself. Be more careful, Tsuna-kun! We're honestly short on manpower over here!"

Tsuna nodded wearily, having had her sleep interrupted two times in the dead of the night.

"Anyway, let's have breakfast that Robot-kun here prepared!"

Sure enough, there was hot toast and cooked eggs waiting at the table, a spread big enough for two people.

"Uh…R-Robot-kun, isn't Reborn eating?"

"Master has already left. He said that he would be eating breakfast out."

"O-oh. Well, let's eat?" Haru nodded quickly, with a passing mention of her hunger. Once they were settled down, Tsuna was the one who started the breakfast conversation.

"By the way, Haru-san. I have to meet Yamamoto-san today. He said not to wear my maid uniform, so I would think he needs my help elsewhere."

Haru raised her eyebrows, and then gave her a suggestive waggle.

"Caught yourself one already, huh! And in a week too. No doubt, this is the super cute Tsuna-kun speaking here! Of course she'd have that sort of talent!" she squealed and got up. Tsuna could almost swear her eyes were all glittery. Her cheeks flushed a brilliant red when she realized what Haru was implying!

"N-No! It's not that! He's probably just asking for help, and the maid costume would get in the way. Anyway! I was just asking to be let off early so I can head down to the mansion early to do some work before I leave to run Yamamoto-san's errand!"

"Lies! All lies! Come, Haru will pick your clothes for tomorrow _and _today! Breakfast eating at full speed!"

She then proceeded to shovel the eggs and toast down her throat at a high speed.

"W-Wait! I don't plan to!" Too late, as it always was with Haru. Whatever she wanted to do, she made sure she did. Tsuna could only groan and continue eating. She had survived many things, she would survive this too.

An hour later, the pair, or rather, just Haru, had finally picked two outfits – a formal, and amazingly gorgeous kimono for the ceremony, and a casual outfit for the day – a pair of jeans, boots and a long blouse, as well as a coat to keep her warm.

The blouse was a simple white, but laced at the ends and at its collar. Attached to the collar was a silky black ribbon. It was nice outfit, but a waste as she would be working, the coat would cover it, and there was practically no point in wearing something so pretty anyway. Meanwhile, the jeans were just black, along with the boots.

"All set, Tsuna!"

"I understand dressing up for the concert, Haru-san, but I'm still working…"

"Nonsense! It's a date in disguise. Now, go, go! Shoo!"

Was there no way to clear Haru's deluded mind?

* * *

Haru had already gone back to her shop, so Tsuna headed for the mansion on her own. It was eight o'clock when she arrived, plenty of time to do some extra dish washing or floor cleaning. Perhaps I-Pin was already there – she was an industrious girl, so going for work early was probably a norm for her.

Tsuna was only disappointed to see an empty maid's lounge when she arrived. There were few maids already going about their work – those were the live-in maids that tended to the mansion all day. She realized she never talked to them most of the time, and some of them even sent her impatient glares. Oh well, Tsuna thought. She had experienced worse.

Tsuna went about her work for thirty minutes before Yamamoto came along.

"Yo, Sawada!"

"Ah, good morning, Yamamoto-san," Tsuna said as she bowed in greeting, placing her broom aside.

"No need to be so formal! Anyway, today's agenda is rather…" he thought for awhile.

"Well, we'll just be walking around! Nothing much, ahaha!"

"Eh? Then what errand did you need me to run?"

Yamamoto lowered his sunglasses and grinned widely.

"Just a surprise! One hint though, it's not just an errand. Take it as a long term job! C'mon, let's go!"

Tsuna nodded and excused herself to put away the broom. Then, the both of them found themselves walking down the quiet stone path again.

"H-Hey, Yamamoto-san? Where are we going?"

"Mmm? I don't know. Anywhere fun I guess."

Tsuna's eyeballs almost popped out at his words, along with the words that Haru had said that morning. They kept echoing in her mind, like a relentless spirit who would not stop haunting her.

"A-Ah, I see," she said as she stepped into the car seat next to Yamamoto. He started the engine, and then they were on the road.

"So, how do you find working here so far? You don't seem as traumatized at the rest of the previous maids, I can see. Adjusting well?"

Tsuna turned from the window to look at Yamamoto.

"I suppose. The idea of looking after…the pets kind of scare me still. I'm q-quite afraid of animals too."

_Quite an understatement as well…_

"Well! Don't worry, Jirou and Kojirou are really friendly, that's for sure!"

"Y-Yeah…I guess they are easier for me to approach," Tsuna offered a quivery smile.

"Ahaha! Don't sweat it. You'll get used to looking after them!"

The rest of the journey was filled with conversation, and for most part of it, Tsuna found herself enjoying talking to someone as laid back and as carefree as Yamamoto was. She was glad that she did not have to go out alone with someone like _Hibari _or _Gokudera, _granted that they had tempers that were easy to start and hard to quell.

Finally, Yamamoto pulled into a parking lot.

"We're here!"

"Here?"

Tsuna had been so engrossed with the conversation, she had not realized where they were headed to. She opened the door and looked out.

"The park?"

Yamamoto locked the car behind her and started to head up to the footpath.

"Yup! The cherry blossom park. It's winter though, so…" he stopped in his tracks, sliding his hands into his pockets.

"There isn't really much to see."

True enough, there was not. The park mainly had a straight path and trees grown on either side of the footpath. Benches were placed at the sides, but they were all unoccupied. The trees were barren, nothing bloomed on them. Of course, it was winter.

Then, Tsuna had an idea. This got her excited, so she ran up next to Yamamoto.

"I know a place where we can go! It's a beautiful place…not many people bother to go there too!"

"Oh? A secret place? Sounds fun! Let's go!"

With that, the duo walked down the footpath again, continuing their previous conversation. Finally, they had walked to the place where the path began to slope upwards towards a hill. Tsuna stopped there.

"Why are you stopping?"

"It's here! There's a secret path that leads to another small hill. Follow me," she said. She then walked off the footpath and onto the dirty snow that had mixed with the soil. She waved her arm, and Yamamoto followed suit.

After a bit of weaving about and a few stops to rest, Tsuna walked out into the clear field, coated in white frost. There, a lone cherry tree stood – bigger than the rest, far bigger.

"Wow, that's an amazing tree! Is that a cherry blossom tree too?"

Tsuna was now right beside the tree, tracing its aged bark with the tips of her finger. She nodded, not saying any other words.

She then hopped back and clasped her hands together, as though in prayer.

"I've always thought…thought that this tree carried the wishes of the people living in this city. That's why it's so big. It's like a miracle, isn't it?"

"A miracle indeed…I would love to see this tree in full bloom!"

Tsuna turned back to smile at him.

"I'll show you then! When it's full of life! We can have a picnic here! Maybe…I would bring Haru and I-Pin, and you could bring Gokudera."

Yamamoto shook his head.

"We'll probably be very busy then. Right now seems to be a resting period. I don't know what our superiors are doing," he narrowed his eyes a little. Tsuna did not catch him in doing so, for she seemed entranced by the tree.

"You know, this tree carries my prayers too," she said softly.

"Prayers?"

"Yes. I - …" Tsuna tried to find the right words to put her feelings out to Yamamoto. She looked at the tree, seeking courage in it somehow.

"I don't remember when I was young."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I lost my memories," she said.

In a sudden movement, she slapped her palm against her mouth.

"Oops! I said too much, didn't I? I'm sorry for bothering you! I'm just a maid after all, I shouldn't bother you with my own troubles," she chuckled sheepishly. It was then she felt a large, warm palm patting her head.

"Nope! It's alright. There's a time where everyone has to let their heart out. It doesn't matter if you're a maid. See, you don't even look like one!" Yamamoto said. Those words consoled Tsuna a lot.

"So, what sort of prayers did you put in it?"

"Hmm," Tsuna said, stepping up to the tree again. This time, she leaned at it and looked at Yamamoto as she spoke.

"To regain my memories, definitely…"

"That's great," he smiled. A small gust of wind blew, shaking the empty branches.

"But I'm scared," she continued in a smaller voice. "Sometimes, I really wish the tree wouldn't fulfill my wish."

"Why is that?"

Tsuna closed her eyes for a little while.

"Then I wouldn't remember who I loved before. I wouldn't have to go through the grief," she said, tilting her head up to the sky.

"I apparently lost my parents in an accident, and I almost lost my life as well. The trauma affected me so much, when I woke up, I couldn't remember anything. None of the names of my relatives, not even my parents. All that I knew was that Reborn stepped up and offered to take me under his wing. So…it was like starting a fresh, new life."

"My own parents would remain strangers to me forever," Tsuna did not know what overcame her. It was strong emotion – but was it sadness? Was it apprehension? Yet, she was supposed to have a heightened intuition of other people's feelings. An irony, she thought.

"I'm running away, aren't I?"

No sooner than that had been said, a low grumbling sound came from Yamamoto's stomach.

"O-oops, looks like I'm already hungry. Sorry!"

Tsuna chuckled.

"Right, then let's go have an early lunch?"

Yamamoto nodded in agreement.

"Wait…but, is there anything else you feel you need to say before we leave?"

"I'm fine, really. It just feels nice to tell someone, sometimes. Shall we go now?"

"Okay, I know a good place!"

"Not too expensive though, I can't afford it," Tsuna said, scratching her chin.

"Don't worry, it's on me!"

"I can't do that!"

Laughing and talking as the duo walked down the hill again, it was as though Tsuna had never spilled her heart a moment before.

All was forgotten.

* * *

Much to Tsuna's dismay, Yamamoto had brought her to a rather expensive restaurant and paid the bill completely. After their bellies were filled, Yamamoto declared that it was time to reveal her new task.

So Tsuna was rather confused when he had driven her to the _zoo,_ of all places. There was absolutely no link at all! Or at least, none that she could think of. A dark sense of foreboding came across her.

"So, do you want to look around first? This place is pretty cool anyway! We can take a walk through the simulated forests…or maybe even the safari!"

"Uh-uhm…"

"Hm?"

"I think it's fine, Yamamoto-san. Where do you want to go?"

"I'd like…to see the penguins!" he said enthusiastically, pointing at the map of the zoo.

"Well then, let's go."

Thus, they went around the zoo, looking at various animals. Tsuna, as usual, dared not to approach any one of them herself. So it was mostly tagging along behind Yamamoto as he looked, fascinated by the various species of animals around. He was disappointed by a lack of some animals though. After all, it was a rather small zoo.

By the time they were done touring the place, twilight was fast approaching.

"Alright, that was fun. Shall we go pick up your mission?"

Tsuna nodded in agreement. She wondered what sort of "mission" she would receive from a zoo.

"Fuuta!" Yamamoto waved to a rather tall and young brown-haired man. He was dressed in a zookeeper's uniform. Smiling, he waved back to Yamamoto.

"Yamamoto-nii!"

"So, how's the cub?"

"He's doing rather fine lately. Shall I take you there?"

"Sure!"

Then, Fuuta bent over sideways to see Tsuna standing behind Yamamoto.

"Have you brought your girlfriend to see him too?"

"I-It's not like that, Fuuta! She's just a friend. Her name's Sawada Tsuna. Sawada, this is Fuuta!" Yamamoto laughed awkwardly.

"Ah, pleased to m-meet you," Tsuna raised her uninjured hand for a handshake. She was blushing furiously now, and all the words that Haru had said came flying back into the front of her mind.

"Pleased to meet you too! Anyway, Yamamoto, this way!"

Fuuta lead the pair to a white-walled room that held various cages and medical equipment. There was a table in the middle of the room, and a basket placed on it. Tsuna replayed their words in her mind again – "cub"? Nothing good could come out of this.

Fuuta sighed as he walked up to the basket, gently stroking the animal that was placed within it.

"No matter how far technology has advanced, there still will be illnesses it can't cure. Poor cub, left behind because he was too weak."

Tsuna cautiously approached the basket, only to find a sleeping lion cub in it.

"Wh-wh-wh-wha-what?"

Yamamoto grinned at Tsuna's reaction

"This is the little cub I've been visiting every now and then! I'm planning to adopt it! I've even taken Jirou and Kojirou here to play with him, and they seem to get along really well."

"W-wait! You can't just adopt an animal like that from the zoo!"

Yamamoto cocked his head.

"Why not? We've done it before."

Fuuta nodded in agreement.

"That's how Gokudera-nii could adopt Uri. The fact that the Vongola Company is largely the one that keeps this zoo going also helps."

"Ahahaha, yep! We do have specialized caretakers back in the mansion to help us look after the animals when we aren't in. Actually, you'll be relieved of your pet shelter cleaning duties when it's warmer outside. Right now, the pets prefer to stay inside because it's rather chilly."

Tsuna felt as though she had been played for a fool. It was like that all along?

"Anyway, I'll go talk to the director, so wait here and watch over the cub, please?"

"Sure thing!"

With that, Fuuta left the two alone.

"Yamamoto-san…why do you want to adopt him though? Isn't he…weak? Would it be dangerous to take it back?"

"I told you, we do have caretakers who look after a small number of animals to give each of them more attention than they could ever get at a zoo. That's why I think it'll be good for Natsu here."

"And the next is…because you're here."

"Eh?"

"Before you came, Jirou was never so healthy and hyperactive, truthfully. He never really responded to me the way he does to you. I noticed that, even though you're afraid of animals, you still try to give them tender care and love."

"You do have the capability, Sawada," he continued, stroking the lion cub's back.

"But! I d-don't!"

"I didn't close my eyes that time when you even allowed Uri to sleep in your lap for an hour. Neither did I miss the fact that you've started to try to reach out to everyone. So I thought, perhaps the same love you're giving to them would make Natsu stronger."

And then, silence. Yamamoto knew in his heart, a last, unspoken reason. The final reason he would never have the courage to say.

"Love doesn't save everything, Yamamoto-san," Tsuna finally said, her hands shaking as she fiddled with them.

"I don't think…I have the capability to look after such a precious lion cub."

Yamamoto decided not to reply her. He only continued to look at the young, sleeping cub. For a brief moment, there was nothing at all; none of the laughter and smiles that they had shared before. All that seemed to be a thing of the past. At last, he spoke.

"Love…love has saved me from death once."

* * *

**A/N: TROLOLOLOLOLO...**

**So I smacked Hibari with a banana. He repaid me by smashing my laptop. God#&%$*.**

**Anyway, no, it's not fixed, so I decided to use my other laptop to start typing this chapter. It's twice as long as the rest of the chapters, so try to think of it as...a double chapter?**

**Anyway, I'll give one other hint. This isn't the end of Tsuna's backstory. It's far from it, quite frankly.**

**If I'm not wrong, Queen Phantomhive was the first to guess her condition back in chapter 7, so a cookie for her. I guess it became more obvious as we went along.**

**PS: A large disclaimer - I will still be editing this chapter even though I've released it. Just grammatical errors and the stupid things I tend to do at 3am in the morning.  
**


	14. Omake: Limited Edition

**Omake: Limited Edition**

* * *

After having their appetites sated, Yamamoto decided that they should take a walk around Namimori Central.

"For digestion!" he had said, so Tsuna agreed to it. Well, she would have agreed to anything, anyway. So off they went along the rather busy street, considering that it was Sunday.

Along the way, Yamamoto found himself fascinated by pens with a bobbing dog head on top, and without much thought, bought it. Tsuna smiled awkwardly at him as he played with it, bobbing the head up and down. It was as if he had the mentality of a five year old!

Then, they stopped by a sports shop. He looked on in interest before going in. Tsuna saw that he immediately headed for the baseball section.

"You like baseball, Yamamoto-san?"

"Yep!" he replied quite enthusiastically as he took a look at the bats that were put up on display.

"Oooh, this one look pretty good," he said, picking a bat up. The pair stayed in the shop for a brief moment before they set out again.

Their next stop was the Namimori bookstore. Quite a few books remained printed in paper, though rapid modernization had digitized many others for convenient pay-and-download books on their electronic devices decades ago. Simply because people still treasured the ability to collect these objects and read it unhurriedly; because books held a sort of novelty that digital books would never be able to have – which was why there were still existent bookstores around.

Tsuna felt a jolt of realization shoot her as she passed.

_I forgot! The limited edition print version of J**J** R*******a is out today! If I don't get it soon…It'll run out of stock! _She thought in despair. She looked at Yamamoto, then to the entrance of the bookstore. The book was on the upper floor in the "Adult Manga" section – and even worse, under the huge tag of "Yaoi". How was she going to ever live a day after that if Yamamoto found out about her _hobbies? _Reborn was the only other person on earth who knew of this (he was trying to refrain from commenting about it – but it was good blackmail material, he thought), and Tsuna was determined to let it remain that way.

Then, in a stroke of luck –

"Hey! A _taiyaki _stand! I'd really love some!" Yamamoto said, pointing to the stand at the corner.

"Ah! Really? Why don't you go get some? I'll just pop into this bookstore!"

"Mmm? Okay."

Tsuna breathed out heavily in relief. When she made sure that Yamamoto was walking towards the stand, she charged into the bookstore. Just as she was making her way up the stairs, she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Hieek!" she turned around immediately to see Yamamoto.

"Yo! Found the book yet?"

"N-No! Besides, did you manage to get your taiyaki?"

"Not at all. Some sorry looking boy covered in bandages went up and bought all that the seller had left. I guess that taiyaki is really good, to be sold out by afternoon. Gotta try it one day!" he said.

_Uuuu…how am I going to make it out of this? I'm never going to get the manga at this rate!_

"Oh!" Yamamoto suddenly said. "I need to go to the toilet for awhile, so just get your book!"

"Okay!" Tsuna answered a little too happily. Yamamoto looked at her strangely, and then walked back down the stairs.

She then continued on her expedition to the adult section.

"I can see it!" She cried when she reached the end. It was a small room filled with books and a self checkout counter at the side. Tsuna lunged for the book as she approached it, picking it up with a victorious cry.

"GET! Lucky! This was the last one in stock too…"

And then, the all too ominous finger tapping on her shoulder. Out of shock, Tsuna dropped the book.

"Ahah, the toilet was closed for maintenance, so I came back. Gotten your book?"

Tsuna cranked her head back slowly. Yamamoto was still standing behind her, smiling obliviously. He had quite obviously missed the point that the upper level of the shop was the adult section.

"N-N-N-N…" Tsuna stuttered as she tried to hide the book. Only, there was no book to hide. Turning around, she saw that the rack was empty. To the side, she saw a happy lady clutching the final book, walking away with a light hop.

_Noooooo!_

"Hm?"

"Never mind…"

She moaned, resigned. They walked out of the store with a blissfully unaware Yamamoto and a rather depressed Tsuna dragging her feet along.

* * *

**A/N:...**

I'm not a yaoi fangirl.

...

_I swear._

(Sidenote 1: Looks like my modern world isn't that modernized. But I believe in it...because I still have something in mind.

Sidenote 2: Be a loud and proud yaoi fangirl, Tsuna!)

Also, this omake is a thank you for the reviews and sorry for the long wait.

Jikage: Hahahah, there are a few major... things I've yet to introduce so far, I guess. Thanks for the review!

**(Oh, and edit: A point of clarification - I mean that, there's a different way of interpreting it.)**

Midaria: Me? I'd scream. Seriously. LOL. Thanks for the review too :D

HikariNoTenshi-san: Hahah, maybe! Thank yee' for the review!

FaerieDaemon: Thanks for the review! (And for getting revenge. LOL)

Queen Phantomhive: Nope, Mukuro didn't knock the cup over on purpose. Though...yes, the scar. The scar. Thanks for the review :)

Seriyuu: Hmmmm...it's open to speculation, the third reason. For now. Thanks =D

milostudio: EEEEExactly why I'd scream. Thanks for the review.

orangesky3: Ohohoho...thanks for the review. Ohohoho...

And then, thanks to: music fans (I couldn't reply you before cause you disabled PMs), Zhyashu, daisy cutter, ZiaLialis, Veldargone, Usako (I know who you are) and pervert for reviewing as well! Oh yeah, and...a certain idiot friend of mine suggested I write about Yamamoto walking up to a lady to charm her and get a free baseball bat. ORZ.


	15. Chapter 14: Part I Treasure

**Chapter 14: Part I - Treasure**

* * *

Tsuna found it hard. Hard to breathe, hard to talk, hard to be around Yamamoto now. Guilt crept up her spines, but the person in question seemed to walk carefree and happily right next to her.

After all, it was hard to think when she had just offended him. Perhaps even his deepest, most treasured memories – yes, it would be awful if she had just offended something so close to him. She gulped.

She should have just kept her mouth shut.

And yet, Yamamoto-san acted as though nothing ever happened. Just like he did all the time. Thankfully for her, his face was hard to see. The setting sun had obscured his face in a dark silhouette.

"Aaaah, that was uneventful. But I enjoyed today! Thanks, Sawada!" Yamamoto said, turning to her. They (meaning _Yamamoto_) had decided to take a long route around to the car – apparently, he enjoyed the bone-chilling air. Unfortunately for Tsuna, the case was otherwise.

"Hey, look! A field!"

"Huh?"

True enough, when Tsuna turned her head towards the direction Yamamoto was pointing at, where a small field stood. She had heard of it – it was one of the last of its kind. In fact, it was the last of its kind – a field in which children could play games together – a field that was rarely used now. It had been there for years, and Tsuna heard that it was to be replaced by a new development. It was old now – it was there even before she was born. A place for children to gather and play after school; well, that was a thing of the past. Now the field was deserted. No one went there anymore.

Then she noticed, a young boy of probably no more than ten swinging a battered bat. His shadow stretched long, emphasizing the tiny, solitary figure. Yamamoto had noticed too – he unconsciously grabbed her hand and charged towards the field.

"Playing baseball?" he asked the boy. The boy, dwarfish and thin, probably because he did not get to eat much, swung around with so much force that he toppled over onto the ground. Yamamoto deftly pushed Tsuna behind and narrowly avoided the bat from swinging into his stomach.

"Oof!" the boy cried, as his bum made contact with the hard, dirty ground.

"Sorry, sorry! My bad!" Yamamoto bent down to give him a hand. However, the dark haired boy just stared at him, before hopping up by himself.

"Mom told me not to talk to creepy old men," he stated simply, and then turned his back.

Yamamoto, quite visibly, was taken aback by this.

"O-oi, oi – creepy old men? I'm not even twenty-five, let alone fifty!"

Tsuna stepped out from her daze and walked forward.

"Then…what about me?"

"People who look like losers, too. It might get to me."

She could feel herself turning into stone, then broken into a million tiny shards. Invisible tears streaked down her cheeks as she held her position – bent down with one hand on her knee and the other reached out in a handshake. The air felt even more chilly than before.

The reality of his words was the most hurting to her ego.

"N-No matter…" she tried to cough up a chuckle. It came off very badly.

"Anyway! That bat looks pretty big for a guy like you…why are you playing alone like this?" Yamamoto said as he patted Tsuna on the head. She needed time to recover.

The boy scrunched up his brows, then puffed up his cheek. He tapped his bat on the ground a couple of times, and put a finger on a chin, as though in deep thought.

"Fine! Just this time! Just this time I'll talk to you!"

"O-Okay…" Yamamoto put on a patient smile. Well, it looked patient, save for the slight twitch at the sides.

"This is my dad's baseball bat!" he said. Yamamoto looked curiously at it. The bat did indeed look rather aged. It seemed to have been through many, many things in its lifetime.

"Two! Because I can't do well in school, I want to become the greatest baseball player, like my dad! But not because I'm stupid, like her!"

Just as Tsuna was about to recover from her earlier shock, she froze up again.

_I don't need a ten year old kid to tell me that!_

Yamamoto looked down to see an equally worn out ball. He bent down and picked it up, examining it carefully.

"_Happy birthday. Love, dad." _

Of course, a birthday present from his father. Then, why was it so worn out?

"Hey! Don't stain the ball with your fingers, old man! It was a present from the greatest baseball player in the world – my dad – _Fukuhara Shigeru!_ I bet you've heard of him, hah! It was personally signed – I bet you're jealous! And I'm going to be just like him when I grow up!" the boy hopped up and down excitedly as Yamamoto looked at the ball with interest.

"As a matter of fact, I do!" he smiled genially.

As a matter of fact, that baseball player was Yamamoto's idol in his childhood. Fukuhara-san was very young in those days, and Yamamoto could remember as he watched him on television, starry-eyed and admiring. He did also learn about Fukuhara Shigeru's death in a car accident several years back. Yamamoto mentally frowned.

"It's great that you want to be just like your father, but you know…You shouldn't dedicate all your time into baseball. You have to learn to balance out your time…and open up your heart to other hobbies. Don't forget your studies as well."

"Oh yeah, old man? That's just your naggy side speaking, like all adults do! You just don't know how I feel about this!"

"If there were one to understand such passion, that'd be me! Someone very important to me taught me that lesson, you know!"

The boy looked angrily and Yamamoto.

"Well, let's see you try to hit a _Super-Duper-flying-Fukuhara-Takara-Special _from me!" he walked up to Yamamoto, shoving the bat into his arms and snatching the ball.

"The game's on!" Yamamoto said. He made a mental note not to hit the ball too far, for he knew it was something precious to the boy, and if he did – it could get lost.

The boy ran backwards, and when he reached a distance he deemed appropriate, he started to swing his arm in circles, preparing to propel the ball.

"I'm going to throw the ball now!"

"Bring it on!"

"Eeeeeyeaaaah!"

The boy released the ball – and despite his scrawny frame, the ball was thrown with much strength and speed, though not extraordinarily spectacular. Yamamoto was able to hit the ball with ease. The boy looked in wonder as the ball went overhead, falling and rolling just to the edge of the field.

In that moment, Tsuna had finally fully recovered from her disgrace, and she looked at Yamamoto with the bat in his hand smiling victoriously at the boy before running up to pick up the ball.

"Takara! It's going to be dark! Stop playing baseball – we have to go home now!"

Tsuna turned to see a woman, her gaunt face wrinkled and hair carrying strands of white. She looked work-worn and worried.

"Eeeeeeeh! But mom!"

Yamamoto had just gotten back from retrieving the ball. The lady's eyes finally spotted Tsuna and Yamamoto. They lost their strict glint, instead turning apologetic.

"Has my son been bothering you?" she said, bowing down repeatedly a few times.

Tsuna shook her head and waved her hands in front of her.

"N-Not at all!"

_A white lie. _

"I daresay ma'm, he makes an excellent baseball player!" Yamamoto winked at the boy. He walked up to him and put the bat and ball carefully into his hands.

"I apologise if my son has disturbed you! Now, come! You still have a bunch of homework to do!" she walked up to her boy, gently grabbing his arm and then tugging him off in the opposite direction. The boy did seem to want to say something more.

"Bye bye, old man and his loser girlfriend! You'd better teach me more baseball tricks next time!"

Yamamoto and Tsuna both blushed at that, but Tsuna did not take it especially well.

_L-L-Loser girlfriend! It's not like that! Ooooooooh!_

"Apologise to them, Takara!"

All the boy did was to stick his tongue out. He wrung himself free of his mother's grip and ran forward.

"C'ya later!"

The lady bowed towards them one last time before running up to catch up with her son. The field was now silent, except the breathing of the two people who remained.

"You know, Sawada…the world out there…"

"I know. I've been more ignorant of it than ever."

"Shall we go?"

Before they could leave, Tsuna felt the same buzzing of the default ringtone in her ear.

"Hold on – hello, Reborn?"

* * *

**A/N:**My pokemans. Let me show you them.

Anyway, I apologise (really deeply) for the long, long, looooooong wait. I just received my tablet, so I'm back on track. Unfortunately, my EOYs are coming up real soon, sooo, let's just say updates will be quite sparse until after the start of October.

I've decided to upload this chapter in parts, so this is part I - just because I've kept ya'll waiting for a long time. In a sense, this kind of looks like a filler chapter/omake, but yeah. Parts I and II will even have different names, just because I thought...something else might suit this better. The "Treasure" here is a verb, by the way.

I also know I've been killing everyone with the boring slow pace, but after these few chapters, trust moi, the pace will pick up.

So really, thank you for the reviews and everything when I was being a lazy bum.

On a sidenote, I have rekindled my love for Pokemanz. So if you're wondering where the hell I got the name Fukuhara _Shigeru, well, just remember he's GARY M'FING OAK._On the other hand, Fukuhara Takara's name carries a hidden meaning (along with the chapter title) which is close to me, but unmentioned in the awful narration of my story. This OC...is probably just a one-time. Unless I decide he makes a cameo. Cause I'm not sure if I really like OCs.

Mudkieps. I herd yuo liek dem.


	16. Chapter 14: Part II Dissonance

**Chapter 14: Part II - Dissonance**

* * *

"Hold on – hello, Reborn?"

"Hello, useless Tsuna. Are you eating out today?"

"No, I think not. Why? Do you need me to cook?"

"I was thinking of having a meal with you. To talk. It's been a long time."

Suspicious. Reborn never asked her out to a meal, if he could help it.

"What did you do now, Reborn?"

"That will have to wait till our meal."

Tsuna was frustrated by his elusiveness and constant dodging of her questions. She had wanted to slam the phone shut, but it was a gift and she could not afford another, if it did spoil.

"I'll come for the meal. Where do we meet?"

"Right… -"

All of a sudden, both Tsuna and Yamamoto heard a loud screech, most likely by a car that was swerving around the corner. It was a familiar, sleek black design – she recognized it to be _Reborn's _car.

"-… up the stairs," he finally finished his sentence.

Tsuna gaped.

"…Did you put a tracking device on me?"

"Stupid Tsuna. You're still living in the 20th century, aren't you? You don't even need one of those to pinpoint a location now. Anyway, hurry up and get here. I'm getting impatient."

Tsuna only put her phone down and gave Yamamoto an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go now. Reborn's taking me out for dinner."

"Oh, no worries! I hope you have a good meal!" he said, patting her back a couple of times. Unfortunately, he did not try to be gentle; she had almost choked on her own saliva.

"W-Well then," Tsuna said, coughing loudly, "I'll see you sometime…"

She gave a quick wave and ran up towards Reborn's car.

Reborn had been tapping his fingers edgily when Tsuna seated herself next to him.

"What are you, a snail?"

"No, Reborn. As you can see, I possess a perfect set of limbs and I look no different from any other human being on this earth."

"If it interests you, no two human beings are exactly alike…"

"O-Oh, cut it, Reborn."

Reborn was not the only one annoyed by Tsuna's slowness. Rather, Tsuna was also irritated with his lack of ability to even wait just five seconds, which resulted in a rude departure from Yamamoto. She somehow knew that he was plotting something, or even perhaps, had already plotted something. Even worse, he might have _executed _it.

"So, what is the hidden agenda of dinner tonight?"

"Oh, nothing. Just a nice, heart to heart talk. The both of us."

"You know we never have heart to heart talks."

"Well then, we'll have one now."

Tsuna sighed. It was impossible to get anything remotely useful out of Reborn. She turned to look at him. Maybe, just maybe she could try reading his emotions. Just like she did so many countless times before. She never really understood this ability, but it seemed as though, with the extra senses that overwhelmed her due to her condition, she could even _read _another person's emotions – was it hyper intuition?

Nevertheless, she decided to try it again.

"What are you looking at?"

There – she felt as though many dark colours flowed out of his voice – not only sound. Somehow, she could even taste it – but what was it? Bitter? Sour?

"Nothing."

She turned back. Just as she did, an abrupt jerk told her that they had just arrived at their destination. Tsuna clumsily stepped out of the car, Reborn following suit, albeit in a more suave and refined manner.

"Reborn – table for two," he spoke to the Maitre d'; unlike most other restaurants which had adopted technology to handle reservations and orders for them, this particular restaurant continued with a more…human touch. It was what kept Reborn continually patronizing the restaurant – Tsuna knew well – he seemed to dislike technology, and shunned it even. She knew it was probably because of his belief that some technology was just plain unneeded. Who needed automatic doors, or did humans not have arms to open doors themselves?

"Right this way, sir."

Soon enough, Tsuna found herself seated comfortably in white cushions.

"Now that we're here, do you mind starting your heart to heart talk now?"

Reborn only shook his head and continued to look at the digital menu projected before him.

"I'll take this," he said, tapping a button on the screen.

"What will you have?"

"This," Tsuna said in return. She only tapped the screen without looking or thinking (for she really just wanted to know what Reborn wanted from her) – and then he shut it off. He had a bemused look on his face – no, not bemused. It was bordering sadistic.

"Excellent choice. Let's talk while waiting for the food to come."

The pair stared at each other for a while.

"Well? We sure are having an interesting conversation here, aren't we now?" Reborn smiled.

"You're the one who called me out in the first place, Reborn!" Tsuna could feel a bead of sweat trickle down the back of her neck.

"Oh, yes. Yes, I did. First of all – you just quit your job."

"Excuse me? I didn't."

"You did."

"Did not."

"Did to," Reborn's stare bore into her eyes. It felt as though it was burning a hole through her head as he did so, brainwashing her, compelling her into thinking that she –

"I didn't quit! I've only been at it for barely a week, and I'm not even permanently hired yet!"

"You gave up and quit, and now you're looking for a job."

Tsuna sighed exasperatedly.

"Why are you so against me keeping my job? It's just a harmless thing to do! How does making tea for other people affect you?"

However, she was not ready for the next few words Reborn would speak.

"I have a mission, Sawada Tsuna. I never fail my missions."

_Wait. Mission? What mission would be involved with a job like a "maid" anyway? _

It all never connected in her head. Her face turned from an expression of confusion, then to contemplation, and finally to anger.

"Er hem, your _Cieche Fritte(1) _has arrived, ma'm," the waiter coughed as he set down a plate of food in front of her.

To say that it looked rather appetizing now would be a lie.

"R-Reborn. If it's just your mission to make me quit my job with no rationale behind it, then I refuse! I d-don't care if you pulled any strings, I'll still go back to work, whether…whether you l-like it or not!"

It was the first time she actually dared to talk back to Reborn. As she realized what she just did, she quickly covered her mouth; then, she snatched up her purse and slid out of her seat.

"I-I hope you enjoy your meal!" and with that, she stormed out of the restaurant. To say she stormed out though was an overstatement. It looked more like a meek mouse scattering from trouble.

Reborn placed his chin in his palms.

"She's never talked like that before. This is going to be tougher than I thought."

* * *

Outside the restaurant, Tsuna was wondering what to do next. Would she head back to the apartment to sulk? No – it would only mean she had to face Reborn later, and facing Reborn was the last thing she wanted to do now. She could go back to the Vongola Mansion – no, that completely made no sense. Stay out in the cold? That made as much sense as her previous thought. In the end, she decided on paying Miss Miura a visit. It was not too late, after all. Just to be sure, Tsuna gave her a call.

"Hello? Miss Miura?"

"Oh! Tsuna-kun! What is it?"

"Mind if I head over for awhile?"

Haru seemed to hesitate before replying.

"Sure! You're welcome any time!"

"Thank you!"

"No problem! See you in a short while then!"

Tsuna put the phone back into her pocket before setting off on her way again.

* * *

Back at the restaurant, Reborn sat alone in silent deliberation as he stared at the untouched plate of food across him. He was jolted from his thoughts when a sudden buzz rung out in his ear. He tapped the screen of his phone on to check for who had called, and subsequently, he found himself frowning when he saw the name flash across the projected screen.

_Sawada Iemitsu._

_

* * *

__(1) Fried baby eel._

**A/N: **Okay, here's part two that doesn't even look like part two. I probably left a lot of grammatical and stupid mistakes in here, but I'm a bit too tired to check again, so I'll do it another time. (Procrastination is my forte...though not as much as dear Usako.)

Thank you all for reading and reviewing!

...I sense from now on I'm going to make a lot of stupid mistakes resulting in gaping plot holes. Oh well, gotta figure this out...figure this out...


	17. Chapter 15: Cold

**Chapter 15: Cold**

* * *

Tsuna found herself once more, at the door step of Haru's odd door. She rang the bell a couple of times and waited for a reaction.

"C-C-COMING!"

She could hear Haru's familiar shout, followed by her rushed and light footsteps. Soon enough, the door flew open and a flushed Haru was standing there.

"Come in, come in! B-boy, it sure is cold! You're feeling cold right? I prepared some tea. Tea! Delicious tea!" She continued to babble on and on. There was something up, Tsuna could tell. Yes, it was of Haru's nature to babble pointless things. However, she really never spoke in this manner before.

"Thank you, Miss Miura. Please excuse me for intruding this late!" Tsuna said as she stepped into the simple room of the small agency. Haru had told her she preferred staying just one level up, because according to her, she would never have to wake up early.

"Oh, you lapsed back into your polite fancy language again. I said, call me Haru! Ha-ru!"

When the two were settled by Haru's table, Tsuna (quite surprisingly) was the first one to raise the conversation. Haru seemed to be biting her lips and running her finger up and down the cup nervously, occasionally taking a few sips. It did not seem as though she would talk on her own vocation.

"Am I fired?"

Haru suddenly sat up straight, but refused to give Tsuna any eye contact.

"No! Why would I fire you? You're such a sweet girl. Besides, I hear you've been doing an excellent job!"

Tsuna bit her own lips.

"Let me rephrase that. Did I quit?"

This time, Haru took a long time to reply.

"No," was the answer that came out of her mouth.

"But someone quit for you. You aren't to return to work t-tomorrow. You…you'll still go for the ceremony right?"

Tsuna was taken aback. She had forgotten all about the ceremony! Although, it was not as though she planned to go in the first place – she had just been coerced into it. What riled her up, however, was the fact that she had not quit on her own accord. She knew immediately that it was Reborn's doing, and it would be an understatement to say that she was upset about it.

"I need you to rehire me, Haru-san! I like this job… I've made new friends too! I mean, I-Pin is really good to me and Yamamoto is friendly. I want to spend more time in it. Please!" Tsuna cried in a sudden outburst. Her hands left her tea cup and she was bent in a deep bow.

"It's… not as though I have a choice. That man – Reborn – he told me you were in danger if you continued to work at the Vongola Mansion. I-I was scared for you. He quit… on your behalf. Please understand, Tsuna! I didn't want someone like you to be in trouble."

Haru sighed. Her hair covered her face, so Tsuna could not see her face. Being the hyper sensitive person she was however, she knew that Haru was on the verge of tears.

"Truth is… the maids I sent to the Vongola Mansion – remember when I told Mukuro to stop making my maids cry? Those who ran back to me – most of them disappeared a day later. M-Most! N-Not all. They all say we have really good technology. That's all a load of bull! The police couldn't even track them down. They were just gone. Like that. It was as though they died. I couldn't draw any logical links. True, it was Hibari, Gokudera and Mukuro who had made them cry with their tempers, but I couldn't blame them for it, because there were cases of my other employees – those who hadn't taken the brunt of their wrath – that disappeared as well!

When… when Reborn told me that you were in trouble, I thought something like that would happen to you soon! So…"

Something rang out in Tsuna's mind at that moment. She remembered what I-Pin said on her first day of work.

"_The mafia. I heard they were into dark, underground trades. Killing, murder –that's why they don't want many people to walk into their rooms. The maids that have dug up information they don't need to know have gone missing overnight. Missing…missing…missing… _"

Were those rumours true then? Tsuna shook her head. She could not possibly be in trouble. She had entered Mukuro's room, true, but she had not stumbled upon any secret documents, as far as she was concerned.

"No, Haru. I'm not in trouble! I'm not going to go missing overnight! Trust me! Reborn… he's just being Reborn, doing what he likes and telling me not to do what I like! I'll return to work tomorrow."

"Oh, Tsuna-kun!" Haru spontaneously wrapped her arms around Tsuna and drew her into a tight hug. Too tight, in fact.

"Urg!"

Tsuna could feel her shoulder getting wet – Haru was definitely crying. Reborn had truly gone too far! He had even made her friend cry now! It was bad enough that Tsuna was always on the receiving end of his harsh words, but he did not necessarily have to make it so for her _friends. _

_

* * *

__Back at the restaurant…_

Reborn answered to the call with a small tap on his ear before picking up his utensils.

"Good evening, Iemitsu. The girl won't relent – I say she'd be back at work tomorrow."

A gruff and deep voice replied.

"I want to cancel this operation."

"You said that her being around them would be detrimental. Especially if _they _caught up to it. And then there's this problem of Rokudo…"

"I trust my skills, Reborn. But yes, he poses some threat. The scars of his childhood – or lack thereof – do provide ample motivation for him. You have to understand though."

"What is there to understand?" Reborn hissed.

"She's my daughter… and she's been suffering for quite a while. Even if she can't remember that. I'm sure there are other ways we can arrange things for the sake of her security. Besides, you do care for her too, don't you?"

"Caring is beyond me, Iemitsu, and you know that. I only complete missions. So, you want me to arrange for guards to be standing around her every second she's in that mansion?"

"No, not like that. Not exactly. And there's something else… more private I'd like to speak to you about. Byakuran's made a move."

"On Tsuna? Yes. I know that very well – I was the one who told you."

"Of course. Then there's the other thing… Rokudo Mukuro… and the Asyriel Project."

"I'll get to the office later."

Reborn shut the connection without so much of a "goodbye" and stood up, half of his meal untouched.

* * *

Tsuna did not even know why she wanted to head home. She would have to face Reborn; or by a stroke of luck, he would be out late again that night. She felt bad about leaving Haru in her state of distress, and it did take a very long time for her to stop sobbing. She then decided that Haru needed rest, and thus she left the apartment, not wanting to be a hindrance.

She did not know what to do as she stood on her doorstep, her body being scanned by the security scanners. Luckily for her, the only thing she saw when she stepped in was the house robot clearing up the kitchen. It turned its metallic head to her and muttered a monotone greeting before returning to its work.

Tsuna decided that she would shower quickly and head to bed. She had made up her mind not to turn up for the ceremony the next day. Although when Tsuna made up her mind, she was, quite normally, never allowed to follow through on it.

She was right.

It was the next day that Tsuna found herself woken up early. She expected it to be Haru as usual, but then again, was Haru really in the mood to wake up this early? She had been sobbing quite badly last night after all.

"Tsuna-kun! Wake up! You have a big day ahead of you!"

It took a few seconds for Tsuna to get the grogginess out of her head before she replied.

"Uhm…I don't really want to go…"

"What are you saying? I've even prepared a beautiful _furisode _for you! C'mon Tsuna-kun. Don't be a wet blanket!"

"But I… I'm sorry Haru, I'm just not up to it…"

She did not get a full answer. Instead, she was heard a loud sneeze, then the sniffling of a nose.

"Are you …sick?" Tsuna started slowly.

"Wh-what are you saying? Of course I'm not sick, Tsuna. I even sound alright! I'm _Haru Miura, _and a few bugs ain't getting me down!"

"Today's a holiday right? Why don't you get some rest, and I'll get some groceries to cook you a nice breakfast before heading to work."

Before Haru could protest, Tsuna cut the call and got out of bed. It was time to start the day. Tossing on some jeans, a thick shirt (filled with some holes anyway, since she hadn't shopped in many, many months) and a coat, she stepped out of the house, making sure she had her uniform and purse in hand. She nodded to the robot before walking out of the apartment.

It was rather cold out, considering that the sun was not up yet. Tsuna though, was grateful that the weather was not as unstable that year. Previous years could see summer's temperatures in the middle of December, and snow in the middle of June. It was all part of nature – it had gone bad many, many decades ago – nothing people could do to change it.

The environment of the earth, after all, was ruined rapidly until major conservation efforts stepped up. It was the only reason they even had a park, or even grass in Namimori. Despite this, the city was still quite gray and dull, though not as much as people in the past had envisioned it to be.

Her journey to the convenience store was oddly peaceful – oddly, because she had not seen the streets so empty in quite a while. Normally, despite the time, there would still be people out and working – which was quite scary to note. Stress from work was a heightening problem in this time, so it was not rare to see a lot of people out late at night, carrying bags or briefcases.

When Tsuna had arrived at her destination, she quickly picked out a few ingredients that would make a good warm broth before stepping out and heading straight for Haru's home. On her way though, she bumped into someone she would have never expected.

At the bus stop, while silently watching the sky and hoping for the stars to appear again (of course they would not. There was too much light, far too much artificial light), Tsuna heard some footsteps and the ruffling of a coat. She turned around, only to see a head of black hair and narrow, cloudy eyes.

"Hi-Hibari-san?" Tsuna squeaked. It was enough for her to get his attention. Before he could say anything in return though, he sneezed loudly. Ah, Tsuna got it. He was sick too.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" It was hard to deny that Tsuna was still intimidated by Hibari, she tried her very best to conjure a conversation with him. She had not interacted much with him over the past few days, after all.

Hibari looked at her before pointing to the block of apartments that she lived in.

"I live there sometimes."

Tsuna had not been expecting a reply. Hibari _was _the aloof and silent type, though no matter how cool or tough he looked, he was still a human and susceptible to common illnesses. Another part of his sentence though, caught her attention.

_W-W-W-W-What! He's my neighbor? No way! No! No! No! No! No! _Tsuna internally panicked. She was reminded of his temper, although he being sick probably softened him up. Just a bit. Still, he was her neighbor! When he got better, and when she got on his nerves (she probably would), she would be in huge trouble.

"Uh…huh."

This time, Tsuna noticed that he was slumped over more than usual. He was trying his best to keep his eyes open. Hibari this time…looked vulnerable. Different from the strong and silent Hibari that she watched from afar.

"Uh… y-you okay?" Tsuna got up. Slowly but surely, she inched closer to him and felt his forehead.

"It's a really high fever! What are you doing out here?"

Hibari did not reply, but stood up, swaying a little. Tsuna turned her head to see the bus approaching.

"Gee, I think I understand why you took public transport today, but…"

Tsuna brazenly grabbed his hand and used her other to pick up her groceries.

"I'll take you back to your apartment where you can rest. I'll cook something for you too!"

In her spate of brave acts, Tsuna's heart was thumping wildly and she was chanting a prayer in her head, hoping that Hibari would not kill her when he regained his rational thought. For now, she would take him back and make sure he had ample rest.

Hibari did not object (amazingly) and followed her silently. The fever, Tsuna figured, burnt his head quite badly. As the two headed back to the tall building, Tsuna gave Haru a call. She notified Haru that she would be arriving late, and Haru agreed – though she was still adamant about Tsuna going to the ceremony, and a lot of unnecessary fuzz had been added on the sides.

"Where do you live?" she asked him as they approached the lobby.

While Tsuna had been leading the both of them all the time, Hibari now stepped forward and led the way to the elevator. When it had arrived, he tapped the button that had a '56' written on it. The pair waited silently for the lift to arrive at its destination, and it finally did with a small 'ding' and the door sliding open.

As soon as they had gotten to the front of his apartment, it was as though Hibari snapped to consciousness. He stepped back and looked at Tsuna.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, rather scathingly.

"Getting you to rest! Y-You have a high fever," she said meekly in return.

Hibari suddenly slumped back against the wall again. Did he just concede to her? Apparently so, for he stuck his hand into his pocket and grabbed his card key. The door opened after a few security checks and they both stepped in.

Tsuna looked at the living room, simple in décor but still amazing. The kitchen was part of the room too, situated in a large space on the left side of the room. A small dining table sat in the middle of the kitchen, and on it, a vase of flowers. Hibari immediately wobbled up to the sofa without the grace he normally held in each of his prideful strides.

"Erm… you don't mind if I use your kitchen, do you?"

"Hmph," he gave a quick nod.

She walked towards the kitchen and immediately began preparing the broth.

It was about thirty minutes later when she produced an aromatic soup in a bowl. By then, she found Hibari snoozing comfortably in his own sofa. His face looked so peaceful, it was hard for her to bring herself to wake him up – but the soup would get cold. Tsuna stepped up and gave him a small shake.

"Hibari-san?"

His eyes snapped open and she stepped back in surprise.

"Wake me up and I'll bite you."

"Hiie! B-but! The soup is ready!"

Hibari gave a quick whiff and got up. Tsuna sighed in relief.

Maybe he would murder her another day, but her cooking saved her this time.

* * *

**A/N: **Wild Hibari's intimidate lowered Tsuna's attack! /Lolfail.

(Thanks, all of you for reviewing in spite of my looong absences!)

And to the anonymous reviewer; err, actually Tsuna's synesthesia was referred to quite a couple of times in the first few chapters.


	18. Chapter 16: Still Alive

**Chapter 16: Still Alive**

* * *

_Namimori Private Hospital_

Mukuro woke up in the wee hours of the morning, but he did not know why. It could have been a nightmare, but he did not even remember if he dreamt. All he knew was that his back ached from bending over while sleeping several short hours. His hand was still clutching a smaller, softer one.

"Chrome."

He whispered under his breath, looking at the pale, thin girl who lay on the bed. She was living – he was sure; he could hear the faint sounds of her breath. The girl – Chrome – was hooked up to several machines that were presumably there to keep her alive. Presumably – Mukuro thought bitterly – because the last time he had seen her truly alive was several years back.

He reluctantly let go of her hand and whipped out his phone.

5.53 AM. No reason to be up at all.

He half considered going back to sleep, but he felt thirsty. He gave Chrome a fleeting look before he stalked out of the room silently, hoping to maybe get a warm coffee from the machine outside. Perhaps a warm bowl of soup too – but they admittedly did not taste that fantastic.

When he got to the main corridor however, he heard a voice that mildly shocked him.

"Oh! Mukuro, is that you?"

Mukuro swirled around to shoot a glare at whoever that was speaking, but calmed down when he saw that it was just the bone head.

"Oof, your ponytail really packs a punch," the man said as he rubbed his eyes.

"Good morning, Yamamoto Takeshi. May I know what you're doing up here so early in the morning?" Mukuro said, trying to hold the irritation in his voice.

"Uhm…" he muttered, "err! You first! What are you doing?"

"What I do isn't your business, you know."

It was then Mukuro saw past his sunshine-filled exterior and saw into his worried eyes. Of course – he tasted the anxiety in his voice a long time ago, but had chosen to ignore it in favour of suppressing the mild irritation that was about to explode – he had only wanted a silent hospital visit to Chrome. Not that he was going to let anybody find out about her.

Reading emotions was his forte. Well, it was what he was _made _to do anyway, by those _stupid, stupid Vongola, _and their stupid technology. Mukuro grit his teeth at that thought again – how had they strayed so far?

"Well, if you really want to know, Gokudera kind of likes to play with chemicals…"

"At 6AM in the morning?" Mukuro raised a brow.

"Yup! Anyway, gotta run. See ya!"

And then, the other dark haired man took off down the opposite path and left Mukuro alone again. He rubbed the area in between his eyes and continued on his way to the vending machine.

* * *

Tsuna jittered as she watched Hibari silently consume his soup.

"S-so, how is it?"

He stared at her for awhile, making her squeak a small "eep!"

"Hibari! Hibari!"

Suddenly, a high-pitched cry shook the air.

"Hibari! Hibari!"

A yellow bird flew out from his room (Tsuna supposed; she was just making an assumption) and perched itself on his shoulder. Hibari put his spoon down and reaching his finger over to touch the small bird on its forehead. It instinctively nuzzled into his finger, chirping delightfully as it did so.

"I – uh – am keeping a friend of mine waiting. So if you don't mind, I'll be leaving…"

Tsuna eventually said this when she managed to peel her eyes of the bizarre sight – a fierce and dangerous man caring for his small (albeit electronic) pet.

"Stay."

"I'll be go – …" _Did you just tell me to stay? _Tsuna mentally shrieked. She dared not to disobey the man though – only god knew what he would do to her if she tried.

"O-okay…"

Thus, two awkward people sat together at Hibari's table, the only sounds being his slurping and the bird's somewhat off-tune song. When Hibari finished his bowl, he leaned back and looked at Tsuna expectantly.

"Uh, I'll get that," Tsuna said while standing up. She reached over to grab the emptied bowl. Before she could however, Hibari's hand shot out and latched onto her wrist. She looked at him inquiringly and he back at her with scrutinizing eyes.

"Na – " he began, but was interrupted by the shrill chirp of his bird.

"Hibari! Hibari!"

_Na? Nuts? At this rate, I'm definitely going to go nuts, _Tsuna thought, mental tears running down her cheeks.

Thankfully, Hibari's attention diverted back to the bird whom he now allowed to perch on his finger. Tsuna picked up the bowl and hurried over to the sink, focusing all her attention on scrubbing it squeaky clean.

When she finally put the bowl in its place, she turned back to the sink and shook her hands over the sink, ridding them of excess water. All this she did with Hibari's pressurizing gaze on her. He seemed to be staring rather intensely at her even though she had mentioned, rather softly, that he should go to bed and rest. She looked down at her clothes to see if there was anything funny on it. She also double-checked with the back of a spoon to see if there was anything on her face. Nothing odd, so she looked back at him.

"L-look – …"

"Thank you."

"Huh?"

"I said, _thank you. _You may now leave, if you'd like to."

He stopped staring and turned around.

"Wait! Uh, Hibari-san!"

Tsuna rushed over to the bag she had left on her counter and began to rummage through it. Eventually, she fished out an aluminum package that contained two small pills within it. Tsuna had already prepared a warm glass of water, and she sat the two items onto the table.

"Do take these pills and go back to rest, uh, please?"

Hibari snorted. She chose to ignore it and picked up her bag, making her way out of the apartment.

* * *

"Hello, Haru-san?"

"Oh! Tsuna – ah, ah, _choo! _" Haru spoke. Her voice sounded much more clogged up now, and it was rather hard to hear her speak.

"I'll be on my way now, so just you hold on. I'll have to restock on a few supplies though, because I used some of them … "

"Hu—_" _Haru's voice was cut off by another loud sneeze.

"Anyway, I'll be over in about thirty minutes!" Tsuna quickly said before Haru inquired any further.

True to her words, Tsuna arrived at Haru's exactly thirty minutes from her phone call. She prepared the soup that Haru thoroughly enjoyed, and was begged by her to stay on a little while, a request to which Tsuna had to politely decline.

"Bud! Deh gomin ob age zeremony!"

"What?"

Haru sniffled and tried to clear her throat.

"The coming of age ceremony! I was looking forward to dressing you up and marching you there too…" she said with a pitiful look in her eyes.

So, that was how Tsuna found herself in (far too) intricately designed cloth with a rather energetic Haru doing up her hair. One hour had passed since Tsuna agreed to Haru's pleas, but on a condition that she did not need to attend the ceremony. Haru was still insistent that she posed for some pictures though.

"- And, there!" Haru said, adding the last flower onto Tsuna's head. She raised a mirror that she seemingly took out of nowhere and shoved it into Tsuna's face.

"How's this?"

"Err, erm…stunning?" Tsuna said in a daze as she stared into the mirror.

"And now, for the main sh-_ah choo!" _Haru quickly turned her head away from Tsuna and sneezed loudly. She quickly regained her composure, this time raising a camera.

_You have got to be joking! Pictures too!_

Tsuna stumbled out of Haru's shop at 9AM. It was the start of the day, and Tsuna already found herself immensely fatigued. She did not know how Haru managed to sap away all her energy so early, but she eventually forced Haru to eat some medicine and rest after a hundred or so pictures. She then set off for the mansion.

Work passed uneventfully; Tsuna had not managed to catch Yamamoto, or Sasagawa. Even Lambo, Mukuro and Gokudera were not around. At the end of the day – when the sun was still setting (work ended early since it was supposed to be a national holiday)– Tsuna noted with a tinge of regret that she did not go to the ceremony in the end. Haru had been talking so animatedly about it for the past few days, and even prepared a nice outfit for her. Well, maybe she would have gone had Haru not fallen ill, so it was not completely her fault after all.

As she was about to leave, she heard a loud explosion coming from somewhere in the house.

"Uri!" an annoyed shout followed, then a loud cry that sounded akin to that of a particular leopard cub that Tsuna diligently took care of in the Pet Shelter.

The little feline hopped past her not moments later and wrapped itself around her ankles, hissing. Then, she realized that a white blur was charging at her at full speed. Since Tsuna was rather slow, she could not avoid the _thing _that had just rammed into her. The three toppled to the ground in a crumpled heap. Tsuna tried to get up, but not before realizing that she was in a very awkward position with a man.

Uri mewed calmly next to her, licking its paws, and then running off towards the Pet Shelter.

"Uh- hello? Go-Gokudera-san?"

Gokudera was more focused on being angry at Uri than on the general position that they were in now. He got up and then looked at Tsuna, sneering at her in contempt.

"Why in the _world _were you in my way?" he said rather loudly. Tsuna winced, finding it painful to her ears.

"B-But, I couldn't avoid…"

"Bah. Just get up already," he said, extending his hand to her. His eyes softened a little, though he looked a tad bit too fierce for Tsuna's liking. She still felt rather uncomfortable and blushed when she recalled the – for lack of better words, _compromising _position that the pair had been in earlier. She did seem to always have embarrassing moments with these people, didn't she? Tsuna shuddered as she thought this.

Gokudera looked, cross-armed, as she carefully dusted off her overcoat.

"Anyway, I'm sorry that I was a disturbance today," she said with a curt bow. The words came more shakily than she would have liked, so she gulped, hoping for at least a positive or neutral response from him. Either worked, as long as it did not end with her being scolded or shouted at.

"Hmph," he muttered, "Sawada right?"

He looked away, hesitant to say what he was about to next.

"Sorry…f-for bumping into you like that. I'll get Uri to apologise later."

"Ah, no. It was not a problem."

A positive response. Not bad.

Then, Gokudera seemed to remember something.

"Eh, hey – Sawada. Did you see Takeshi today? You'd notice him – his idiocy is rather hard not to detect."

"Uh, not at all."

She could hear him mutter a couple of profanities, but generally got the idea of what he was saying.

"Bastard, running off like that after I told him I was injured. Anyway, sorry 'bout that. Bye," Gokudera slipped his hands into his pockets and walked back towards the mansion. Tsuna waved weakly after him and set off again.

Her next roadblock arrived promptly, and Tsuna was convinced someone just did not want to let her get back to the safety her home.

"Oya, Midget. Still working today?"

She stared back up into the double coloured eyes of the mischievous man before her.

* * *

**A/N: **Short chapter again, Portal inspired title, exams in 1 week, going to die. But thanks for the reviews and everything!

(Talk about messed up priorities, but if it'll justify my actions, I need a break.)


	19. Chapter 17: To My Dear Tsuna

**Chapter 17: To My Dear Tsuna**

_When you look at the world through your naïve eyes, it looks more colorful than it should be. _

_But hold on to your beliefs._

_For when you look at the world through hardened eyes, it will look darker than it really is. _

_

* * *

_Mukuro calmly sipped his beverage, still contemplating that bowl of soup. Tapping his feet on the ground to the beat of the new song, he mentally cursed himself. _No, _he was not part of their stupid band on his own jurisdiction. He would do it, do anything – just anything to free Chrome.

Vongola. He hated them, he did so much. What choice did he have though? They bound him to their projects using Chrome. Chrome, pure, sweet, Chrome. The thought annoyed him, thus he felt the need to get up and walk about – to walk off his annoyance. It was not as easy as it sounded; he had been feeling like that for quite some time now.

Mukuro paused mid-step, body tensing up.

_Tap, tap, tap._

Slow footsteps.

_Tap, tap, tap._

"Yo, Mukuro-chan."

The next thing that annoyed him as much as the Vongola did.

"Good morning, Byakuran. Here to pay a visit to your sick, twisted mind? Not that rehabilitation would work," Mukuro said in reply.

"Oh no, no, no. Not that today, no. I'm here on business," Byakuran said. Mukuro could hear the ruffle of a bag behind him, and then the smacking sound of lips.

"Mmm, delicious marshmallows. Care to have one?"

"I would rather not," Mukuro promptly answered, turning his head partially to look at the other man. "Please leave to attend your business already."

"I cannot do that either, Mukuro-chan," Byakuran said as he finished off another sweet marshmallow. Mukuro's eyes widened upon hearing that, and Byakuran had caught on to it. His smile grew wider, more nauseating. Mukuro already had the urge to impale his face.

"My business is here. Or more specifically, with you," he smiled. "You see, I can make a deal with you."

"I refuse."

"Don't be so hasty! Listen to what I have to say," Byakuran now made slow steps right next to Mukuro, peering up at his face closely.

"Then do learn what 'personal space' means."

"Ah, sorry about that. But this deal involves Chrome, you see."

Mukuro turned around, giving Byakuran a vicious stare.

"Don't you dare…!"

"Oh, no. I don't mean to endanger her life. I mean to save it. To wake her up. It's all within my power – all within the Millefiore's power to do it. What do you say?"

A tempting offer. It was just like Byakuran to make a deal like this. He was the devil who hung treats in front of potential victims, disguising as an angel to lure them in. Oh no, Mukuro was not a victim. He would be the victimizer. Mukuro smiled as he thought this.

"Your deals are never so simple. What do you require in exchange?"

"Ah, that girl. Tsuna Sawada. The frail one, with the loser face. You know, she could be pretty cute if she tried…"

"You digress. So, you want me to kidnap this girl in exchange for curing Chrome?"

"Mukuro-chan, you should know better than to expect free lunches. I know it'd be easier to just take her by force, and it'd be more convenient for me as well. But you see, I believe in making the process fun. I want you to befriend her, seduce her… enrapture her. Whichever way you prefer, Mukuro. I'll let you choose. I am sure that pretty face can do more than just smile sarcastically. So, do we have a deal?"

_So, I would either stick to my original plan of using her to coerce Reborn, or capturing her for Byakuran. _Mukuro contemplated silently as he looked at Byakuran's gleeful eyes.

"Wait. How would I know if you'd stick to the deal? I don't trust you."

Byakuran took a step back, his smile growing much wider.

"This. I will pass it to you," he held a small chip between his thumb and forefinger.

"This is the key to waking your precious Chrome up. I will give it to you first – and it will, well, give you a trial to the data. You'll be able to access half of it. As for the other half… when you gift wrap the girl to me for Christmas, I will give you the password. On top of that, I will help you to administer the _cure. _It's not cheap. I must warn you though…"

His voice turned. It was now more sinister, more terrifying.

"If you try to hack it, all the data will erase itself. This is a unique chip. I hold no backups. If you pull anything like that, then your Chrome will never wake up again."

Mukuro smiled.

"Sounds interesting."

* * *

Tsuna, somehow, did not know how she found herself sitting in the same furisode she was forced into that morning. To make things worse, she was sitting in a private room of the same posh club she had gone to on Friday.

When Mukuro had found her, she was whisked off to Haru's quaint little shop. Haru herself had claimed to recover after taking a very long nap, but she still sniffled and coughed from time to time. Next, she had taken it upon herself to doll Tsuna up again, this time with Mukuro watching contentedly at the sidelines.

Apparently, Mukuro had bumped into Haru before he met with Tsuna, and Haru, being the blabbermouth that she was, started to boast about the excellent job she had done with the former the very morning. He found himself bemusedly staring at the photos Haru took of Tsuna, much to her embarrassment.

Mukuro then remembered of the little get together the Vongola Company's director had arranged. He had wanted to skip the meeting at first, but an idea shot through his mind, although the idea was not made known to anyone.

Tsuna sighed. Her beet red blush could be seen behind all of Haru's think make-up. Of all things, she was thanking the gods that she did not need to appear in public in the furisode. Yet, she ended up being sandwiched in between Mukuro and Haru, who both seemed to be arguing about something. Tsuna did not know, she lost track of the conversation after awhile.

After awhile, the room's automatic door slid open, a cheerful Yamamoto walking in with a sulky Gokudera in tow. They too, were arguing about things. Tsuna turned to attention, catching bits and pieces of their conversation.

"You..! Where the hell…"

"Well, well, calm down!"

"But! I!"

The pair seemed to have seen Tsuna. She offered a shaky smile and waved her hand as daintily as she could. It of course meant that she failed.

Yamamoto gave off a low whistle.

"You did a good job on her, Haru-san!" He said, giving a thumbs up.

"Hmph," Gokudera crossed his arms. Haru looked at him and blushed a bit, though Tsuna did not catch it. Mukuro did, and grinned slyly at Haru.

The two men plopped down in seats opposite of Tsuna and Haru. They both seemed to be dressed quite formally as well, a far cry to the coat that Mukuro insisted on wearing indoors.

"Uh, uh…so, what's so special today? Uhm, tonight." Tsuna said before anyone could begin another argument.

"Ha-hi! I forgot to tell you! In lieu of missing the ceremony today, we're celebrating here. It was good you didn't go today anyway. Too few people went, so you wouldn't have been able to show off this beautiful furisode…"

"Haru-san, what are you talking about?"

"Well, what she means is that this is our "coming of age ceremony". Private, Vongola style, since Gokudera and I had to work in the morning. Though I was just expecting Ryohei and Sawada-san to be coming. By the way, Sawada-san is Sawada Iemitsu. He's the vice president of the Vongola Company. Oh, and, thanks for inviting more people, Mukuro!" Yamamoto said as he trailed off, hopping sporadically from topic to topic.

"Heeeeeeeh? Isn't he like, a really important guy?" Tsuna said in amazement.

"Ah! That's right! Sawada-san shares the same surname as you! What a coincidence, huh!" he piped up again, ignoring Tsuna's statement. Gokudera promptly planted his face in his palm.

"Though he looks nothing like you. He's sort of really buff, with blonde hair and stuff. Otherwise, I'd think that you both were related!" and then, he started to _laugh _to himself.

In that period of time, Mukuro had gone to fetch himself a drink, and was now sipping the alcoholic beverage quietly. Haru did not seem to chatter off as much, fiddling with her thumbs. Gokudera was… well, Gokudera.

The odd group was finally joined by the last two to arrive at the party – Sasagawa and Sawada-san.

"PARTY! TO THE EXTREME!" Sasagawa pumped his fists into the air.

True to Yamamoto's words, Sawada-san was indeed quite well-built. He had a head of blonde hair and a rather genial smile. He looked like the typical family man. Or not so typical in the end, Tsuna decided.

_Did he just…_

"Oh my beauti - …" he clamped his mouth shut as Tsuna looked at him, puzzled. He cleared his throat and took a seat by Haru.

"Thanks for the invite, Sawada-san!" Yamamoto told him enthusiastically. He was the only one who did. Ryohei was too busy being excited and Mukuro remained silent, although Tsuna thought that he was trying to maintain a calm composure. It was then she finally realized Haru was fidgeting about, and had not spoken since Yamamoto and Gokudera arrived.

"Tonight, we eat and drink to our heart's content! But remember to turn up for work tomorrow," Sawada-san commented cheerfully.

"Che, " Gokudera turned himself away.

Soon enough, Tsuna found herself with some very delicious food (no matter how skimpy) and wine put in front of her.

"Uh…"

She looked around the table. Ryohei and Sawada-san were now downing bottles of wine, competing to see who would finish their bottle faster. Yamamoto was talking animatedly to Gokudera, with the latter chewing his food silently. Haru was still in her dream land, and Mukuro offered her a smile, though his eyes looked distant.

Tsuna stared at the red liquid placed in front of her. She had not taken the opportunity to try alcohol past her 20th birthday, so this would be the first time she would be drinking it. She was an adult now right? That was the point of the ceremony (no matter how unqualified this gathering was to be called a ceremony in the first place). She raised the glass to her lips and took a tentative sip.

Three hours later, Sasagawa and Sawada-san were both singing songs arm in arm. Yamamoto went on to converse with Haru, trying to snap her out of her daze. Mukuro, amazingly, was able to hold his own, still silently drinking next to Tsuna. His presence was hardly known. That left Gokudera, who lit up a cigarette.

Tsuna, unfortunately, was slumped over the table, hiccupping every ten seconds or so. As soon as she took the first sip, Sasagawa gave a loud shout that stunned her half to death, making her swallow the rest of her glass. She (quite predictably so) could not hold her liquor, leading to her current state.

"Ahh, I can see the light…" she muttered to herself. "Oh, actually there's a shadow blocking…"

She clawed at Mukuro, who gave her his own weird stare.

"Ge…get outta my light…"

"Oya, midget is drunk."

Tsuna ceaselessly clawed at his coat, weakly muttering the same words. Mukuro bent down, looking at Tsuna mischievously.

"Alcohol sure is good, right?"

Much to his surprise, Tsuna smiled. She raised two fingers in a victory pose, and then bent them horizontally towards Mukuro's eyes.

"What are y -…"

"Poke!"

Moments later, when Mukuro stopped rubbing his eyes, Sawada-san stood up. His face was impossibly red. He waddled his way over to Mukuro, tugging at his coat and forcefully removing the man from the room., though Tsuna, being intoxicated, did not care much. Haru had finally stopped fidgeting, making feeble attempts at getting back into her active girl persona. She saw Tsuna sprawled over the table, which sent her into alarm.

"Ha-hi! Tsuna!"

Now that Sasagawa lost his drinking buddy, he challenged Yamamoto to a arm-wrestling match, while Gokudera decidedly went to the washroom.

* * *

Mukuro leaned against the wall, cross armed. Iemitsu was scowling – a far cry from his mood just a while ago.

"What is your purpose of bringing her here?"

"Oya, purpose? What purpose? Is she someone important, Sawada-san?" Mukuro tilted his head to the side as he smiled.

"You…if anything happens, I will not…"

"Forgive me? Well then, she must be rather special to Sawada-san. Hmm, I don't know. The midget is turning out to be more and more _wanted _by people today. I wonder what secrets she holds."

Iemitsu's frown grew bigger, while Mukuro stood back up, making his way back to the private room.

"It's getting rather late. Maybe I'll have a few more drinks before I go."

"You're going to get drunk. Drive off a bridge, will you?"

Mukuro stopped, turning around to give the seething Iemitsu a smirk that would send chills up anybody's spine.

"Oh, but I can't. I am no longer…human."

* * *

**A/N: **Gonna be more frequent with updates now. Well, maybe. Exams are over.

Also, it takes a lot of self-restraint to keep myself from deleting the what, first 18 chapters of this. I'm still thinking to myself. What the hell was I doing back in February?


	20. Chapter 18: Heart and Soul

**Chapter 18: Heart and Soul**_  
_

_They told me – someone without a heart or a soul is no longer human._

_Someone without both is a complete monster.

* * *

_

He remembered the first time they met.

It seemed so bleak back then – his eyes could see nothing but black; nothing but the darkness. Yet, he remembered that it was a rather sunny winter day out that he met her. He remembered, even the sweetness of the hot chocolate that they had. He remembered the way the girl looked at him and the way he looked back.

It was unpleasant.

Two children sat underneath the shadows of the adults as they discussed whatever adults discussed. It was not their problem anyway – childhood was a time of frivolity. What did the world mean to them?

That day, the afternoon was spent idling away, maybe offering an exchange of a word or two with the other party. The boy thought that she was rather dumb – did she not know how to speak? Surely not! His eyes narrowed further. She simply stared back, maybe in fear, maybe in confusion. No one could tell.

He turned back to his parents for a second. They were animatedly talking with a man – a huge, burly man with golden hair. The man looked like a thug, but yet seemed like an important man. The boy could tell from the way his parents looked at him. Just as he was about to get up to nudge his parents, his mother turned down and shuffled his hair.

"Do you mind taking her to play?"

His frown deepened. Did they expect him to remain with such a creep for so long, and alone? Well, he had a plan! A brilliant plan it was – or at least it was, in his opinion. Just take her, sit her down somewhere and then he could run off to play by himself. Perfect! That way, he would never need to be bothered by her.

He took her wrist roughly and began to trudge off. He lied to the girl, saying that he needed a washroom, when in fact he was running off to a secret spot where he could be alone, just by himself. He did not like people anyway. Just as he thought that he could get off with it, he found a shadow covering his precious sunlight.

"The toilet's that way."

A soft, gentle voice. He opened an eye to shoot her another glare, but he noticed that all she really had was a blank look on her face.

"The toilet's that way."

"Well! I'm done using the toilet!" he said, folding his arms and turning the other way. Was she like the rest? Did she only want to get close to him just because his family was wealthy? Years of experiences (or as much as a young child – not yet a teen – could have) had nurtured his cold and cynical demeanor. He was so sure that was the case – maybe his parents had been discussing payment to her father just so that she would play with him. Yes – just like his last best friend. He could not forgive them for that, most definitely not.

That would never happen again. He refused to be betrayed. The girl, however, was rather persistent, much to his dismay.

"Then…would you like to hear a song?"

"No. Go away. I don't need loser friends at all. I don't need people. I can play by myself."

"Would you like to hear a song?"

The boy, irritated by then, stood up and fiercely told the girl:

"No! Why don't you just leave me alone? What are you, dumb? Don't you know what I'm saying?"

He paused when he looked at the girl's face. There was no emotion – she only stared back blankly.

"Would you like to hear a song?"

"W-What's wrong with you? Don't you know what I'm saying?"

He was scared now. He had never met a child so… so eerie. Normal children sneered or shied away when they were shouted at, but this child… this child simply did not know what it meant to have emotions.

"Would you…"

"Fine! I'll hear your dumb song, but in exchange, you'll leave me alone!"

Then to his surprise, he thought he saw a faint shadow of a smile on her face. Thus began a lilting melody that played in his mind till the days he grew older. Till the days he could no longer see her.

He remembered the last lines she whispered, maybe still in a pretty tune. She had asked for his name. And he, unwittingly drawn into the magic of her song, replied.

"Hibari Kyouya."

* * *

"That man! If he weren't… I would have just murdered him long ago!" Iemitsu said, his teeth clenched tightly together. Reborn looked amusedly at the man as he sipped his warm tea. It had been a particularly intense meeting with the band members that they just had, and Mukuro had made several snide remarks that Iemitsu did not fail to catch on.

"It's been two weeks since that mini celebration you held for Yamamoto and Gokudera. Are you sure it's wise for me to just observe his movements? He hasn't done anything suspicious – not yet – but I propose that we pull Tsuna out of there at once."

Iemitsu grimaced.

"That's the hard part. I'm torn between forcing her into something that she doesn't want and…"

"Protecting her? Anyone with a brain would figure that one's safety more important than one's own desires! The answer's been given to you. Self preservation, ever heard of it?"

The blonde man sighed, cupping his forehead in his large, calloused hands.

"Tsuna probably hasn't," he said.

"Well, probably got that from you. "

"Thanks."

"No problem."

Iemitsu let out a huge sigh for the umpteenth time in the past hour. Even though work was piling up by the second, he decided that that could wait as he pondered over the safety of his daughter.

"Taking her out of the mansion may not help either. Look, even if we distance her from Mukuro, there's still Byakuran to handle. If he gets his hands on her, then our world is at stake. There isn't a solution!"

Reborn's eyes narrowed, and they glinted darkly. He no longer held that amused expression on his face.

"Then you should have killed her all those years back."

A loud bang on the table followed.

"_How dare you suggest that!" _

Reborn did not bat an eyelid. Instead, he stood up, preparing to take his leave.

"Probably only you and I know why Byakuran wants Tsuna. Allow me to take her away – I'll provide you with a solution."

"What is it?"

"Anti-technology. It'll stop all of Byakuran's devices, and she can't be easily tracked down if anti-technology is put on her. If done right, it may not harm her…"

"It'll take months to make."

"Better that than nothing," Reborn turned to exit, leaving a few last words.

"While we wait for it to be developed, we'll… employ some help in keeping watch over her. But I'll tell you this beforehand – should anything go wrong…"

Iemitsu's pupils widened. He knew where the conversation was going, and he knew that Reborn's suggestion was really one of the only ways out of the hole he had slowly dug for himself so many years back.

"I will not hesitate to kill her."

With that, Reborn left.

* * *

It had been a dull morning at work again, but Tsuna was slowly getting used to the pace of the regular work. Instead of feeling frightened and lost when I-Pin was not around, she started to grow more aware of the mansion's surroundings.

On occasions, she would bump in to Yamamoto or Sasagawa, the two of them hanging around there the most. The rest of the band apparently had their own things to do. No one knew for sure what Mukuro or Hibari did, but Tsuna did know that Lambo was in school quite often, or otherwise with his family; meanwhile, Gokudera was pursuing further studies, his passion lying mostly in science.

When Tsuna sat down to think about it, the Vongola band hardly did anything remotely _band-like. _They did not get along together, and the only times she did see them like that was when they actually performed. They barely performed outside Namimori either, in spite of being popular within it.

"Hrmmm…"

"Yo, Sawada! Having lunch?"

Tsuna snapped out of her idle thoughts, her utensils flying out of her hands when she heard a familiar voice. She got up quickly, scrambling to pick them back up.

"Hello, Yamamoto-san. What brings you here?" she offered a shaky smile as she went over to the sink to wash her utensils again.

"Well, I was just passing to order lunch, but I saw your shadow on the way out – oh, hey! Since you're eating here alone, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to join you here, huh?"

"Um, feel free to?" It was a question more than a reply, but Tsuna was getting used to speaking with the upbeat and bubbly Yamamoto, seeing as he was the easiest to approach of all the people within the mansion. Sometimes, Sasagawa could be _really_ weird.

She finished cleaning her utensils, and went back to her seat while Yamamoto helped himself into another chair opposite hers.

"Doesn't it get lonely, eating lunch alone all the time?" he asked, his fingers tapping a rhythm on the table as he waited to be served.

"It does, sometimes. It's been bothering me for quite awhile but, why don't I see any of the other maids… eating lunch either?"

Yamamoto shrugged.

"Beats me. Maybe you just eat at a different time."

A loud shout marked the entrance of another party.

"EXTREME! Yo, Yamamoto! What are you doing here at the back?" Tsuna immediately recognized the head of spiky white-gray hair. Sasagawa was pumping his fists up into the air excitedly.

"Hello, Sasagawa! Saw Sawada here eating alone, so I thought I should join her. Besides, I don't fancy eating alone either."

Sasagawa let out a hearty chuckle.

"Come to the main living room! Today's rather free anyway, and Kyoko is here on a visit!"

"Oh! She is? She came all the way here to visit?"

Sasagawa nodded his head.

"Eh, Sawada! Why don't you join us too!"

He looked her over with a critical eye until it seemed as though he had made a decision.

"You'd benefit from it to the extreme! My sis could really teach you a thing or two about presentation!"

Ah, the countless times that Tsuna was insulted. She was not sure how to tell if people subconsciously or purposely did it any more.

"I think I'd rather stay - "

"Nonsense!"

Tsuna felt herself being lifted up, and then flung over Sasagawa's broad shoulder.

"Alright! Let's move to let you meet my _cuter _little sis!"

"Nooooooo!" Tsuna's screams of protest came unheard. As she saw her lunchbox fading into the distance, she could hear Yamamoto shout back.

"I'll grab your lunch box for you!"

* * *

Sasagawa Kyoko was the most effeminate woman that Tsuna had ever seen in her life. If anyone saw the look on Tsuna's face when she saw her, they would have sworn that they were sparkling. She was poise and immaculate, having worlds of difference from her rough brother, both in looks and personality.

"Welcome back, big brother! Who is that you've brought?"

Tsuna felt her body shift as she was put on the ground. She made a mental note to try put on a bit more weight, but she knew deep down that it was of no use anyway. She would still end up being flung about like a ragdoll.

"Oh, Kyoko! This is Sawada Tsuna! She works as a maid in the mansion, but I guess it doesn't matter! She'll be joining us for lunch today."

Kyoko looked towards Tsuna, who was still wobbling on her feet, having been roughly manhandled by Sasagawa.

"Pleased to meet you, Sawada! Or can I call you Tsuna-san?"

"A-A-Anytime…"

Then, Kyoko gave a bright smile. She looked over Sasagawa's shoulders and gave a light wave.

"Hello, Yamamoto!"

"Long time no see, Sasagawa-san! How's it been?"

"It's been running smoothly."

Yamamoto placed Tsuna's unopened lunchbox in front of her, while she continued staring at Kyoko, as though she was an idol that could never be stained by her dirty hands. She was an unattainable model, a living piece of perfection…

Tsuna had to keep herself from drooling. Why were some people on earth so blessed? Before Tsuna could launch herself into another long train of thoughts, she turned to Yamamoto.

"I'll go get the food right now," and then, she hurriedly walked off. She felt quite out of place back there, and she wondered why Sasagawa was so insistent on having her have lunch with them. As if she was not already having self esteem problems, she just had to meet someone like Sasagawa Kyoko, possibly the perfect girl in (almost) every way. Or at least it seemed like that at first glance.

She was too absorbed in feeling inferior to hear Yamamoto say that she was walking the wrong way.

When Tsuna was done brooding over her inferiority, she realized that she had made several wrong turns and was headed deeper into the maze of the mansion. Where was she? Even though she had worked there for a period of time, she still did not know how to fully navigate her way around the mansion, for it was such a huge complex; some areas she barely visited, simply because there was no need to. No one stayed there, and no one knew what the rest of the areas were for. Unfortunately, she found herself stuck in one of those unknown areas.

She walked around, afraid that a ghost or a monster would pop out behind her, devouring her… Those thoughts made her feel worse, and she made her best attempts to shake them off. Maybe even seeing Mukuro would have given her a little hope in returning to where Yamamoto and the rest were. Maybe Sasagawa or Yamamoto would notice she was missing…

Speaking of the devil, she heard the same cunning voice that she had grown accustomed to over the weeks. After all, she was consistently harassed by it, and the unpleasant experiences remained etched deeply in her mind. It came from the darker end of the corridor, just right around the corner.

"…I know, _Kyo-chan,_" the same voice darkly muttered. Tsuna paused. Who in the world was "Kyo-chan"?

_Drip. _

Tsuna looked to the ground. She saw several drops of blood on the floor.

"Shut up."

This time, the voice was slightly deeper, and much more emotionless. She recognized it all too well. It belonged to Hibari.

"Kufufu, wallowing in your angst?"

_Thump._

"Oya, violence isn't going to solve anything. I have the trump card here."

Tsuna could imagine a sinister smirk on Mukuro's face. She tiptoed as quietly as she could, leaning against the wall. She was now within the vicinity of the two most dangerous men in the mansion, in a remote part of the mansion; it did not take a genius to note that weapons were involved, either. Tsuna suddenly found herself in a very dangerous position. She turned quickly to leave, before Mukuro's voice broke the silence again.

"All I have to mention is how you _had _the most perfect family, the most loving parents anyone could ever ask for, and even a best friend whom you probably _loved _and who never reciprocated your feelings…"

"Shut - !" Another thump, and then the sound of clashing metals.

"And how you lost _everything in a day. How you -…" _

Another thump. Tsuna could see more blood splatter onto the floor. Her eyes widened.

"… – _killed your best friend." _

Tsuna was about to gasp when she felt a hand cusp her mouth and move her silently into a nearby room.

"Ah -…" she gasped softly.

She turned around to see Yamamoto signaling for her to stay silent.

"It'll get ugly real fast if they caught you," he whispered, "we'll stay here till they're done."

He had a pained look on his face. The both of them sat down together on the floor, leaning against the wall. Yamamoto turned to press his ear against it, checking for signs of their departure.

"Yamamoto-san, do you…"

"Ssh, we can talk later. It's too dangerous now."

He reached out to cover Tsuna's mouth, preventing her from saying any more. Tsuna's heart was thumping wildly – she had just eavesdropped upon information that she did not need to know. If Hibari ever found out, she knew that her corpse would probably be found lying somewhere the next day.

As the pair sat there in silence, Tsuna prayed for her safety.


	21. Chapter 19: Alterum Non Laedere

**Chapter 19: ****alterum non laedere**

**

* * *

**This had been going on for approximately thirty minutes, or eternity, as Tsuna had thought.

Tsuna was starting to feel stiff and airless, especially since she was pressed up really, really close against Yamamoto, and her mind was going in all sorts of directions. Why had she gotten herself into trouble again? Why, why in the world did she have to stumble upon the two most dangerous men one could ever get close to? Why did she even have to listen in Hibari's secrets?

One thing, Tsuna concluded – fate, destiny, something out there – just really hated her guts that much.

Tsuna could hear no more sound coming from the outside. No more bloodcurdling thumps, and definitely no more of Mukuro's derisive chortle. Yamamoto, too, loosened his grip on her, and he let his breath go.

"I suppose it's over now. You wait here Tsuna, I'll go see if the coast is clear," Yamamoto said as he cautiously stood up. He grabbed a metal pole from nearby, and began to creep towards the door. Tsuna shut her ears and closed her eyes, huddling up against the wall.

"Augh!"

Tsuna swung her head up, and her eyes widened in horror as she saw Yamamoto's figure fly backwards, as though he was a ragdoll. He hit the ground with a loud thump; Tsuna quickly found the perpetrator standing at the door. His figure – an imposing silhouette, stood mighty and superior. A metal stick gleamed in his hands – Tsuna could see the blood smeared over it.

It was Hibari.

Yamamoto struggled to get up again, but when he was on his feet, he lunged forward, throwing his entire body at Hibari. Tsuna, now teeth chattering and body shaking, slowly edged backwards until she hit something soft.

Dead, still eyes stared back at her. It was a disembodied head – Tsuna screamed loudly; her head had not quite registered that it was fake. However, the scream was enough to take Yamamoto's attention away from his battle with Hibari for a split second – and then, he felt cold, hard metal rammed into the side of his body. He flew to the ground, groaning in pain.

"S-Shit."

Hibari glared at the body that lay limply on the ground, and snorted scathingly.

"Pathetic. Weak. Take that as a warning – I didn't hit too hard."

Hibari swirled around and took his leave. Tsuna, meanwhile, was already tearing up. She let out short, loud gasps, crawling towards Yamamoto.

"Ya-…Yamamoto! What…" her hands were shaking, and tears were streaming down her face. She was not used to this – she was not used to having see people get _physically _hurt because of her. She did not know what to do. She patted around her pockets to check for her phone – but then she left it back in the resting room.

She was at loss as to what to do. Leave and tell Sasagawa? How could she leave Yamamoto alone! He could be dying, for all she knew – though admittedly Tsuna did not know much. Somewhat to her relief, Sasagawa came running in, after he noted a ragged Hibari walking casually across the hallway.

"Sawada! Oh god," he toned his voice down as he saw Tsuna sobbing over Yamamoto's body. He was wincing, but he could not move much, or even say much, though he still sustained a cheeky smile on his face – maybe in an attempt to relieve his pain and Tsuna's worry. Tsuna turned up, red-faced and snot-covered.

"Sa-Sasa..g-gawa-s-s-san. P-Please! Help! H-Help Yamamoto!"

* * *

The next thing she knew, she was curled around Sasagawa Kyoko, who was trying her best to relief her of the traumatic experience.

"Don't worry, Sawada-san. The doctor said it, didn't he? A rib fracture, a few broken bones – but no life-threatening abnormalities. It's really, really alright. Yamamoto just needs a little rest, I'm sure of it."

It was not working though – Tsuna was a softie, and it was the first time (technically second) she had seen a fight, and someone get injured just to protect her. It was rather dark by then – late evening – and Tsuna's stomach started in protest, for she had not had lunch nor dinner.

"See, Sawada, even your body's starting to complain. Please, when my brother settles all of the paperwork, we'll go out and have a hearty meal!"

Tsuna shook her head, sniffling.

"I think I'll go take a walk around the hospital."

She got up on her feet, and walked away, leaving a frowning Kyoko behind. As she walked, Tsuna tightened her coat around her body – despite the hospital being warm, she felt incredibly and oddly cold.

Tsuna was now walking aimlessly – maybe she was one level up, maybe she was one level down – but she was trying to walk it off. Maybe she could speak to Yamamoto after he awakened. Speaking of Yamamoto – Tsuna thought she had seen another Yamamoto's room.

"Yama…moto. Yamamoto Tsuyoshi," she glanced at the signboard – but she ended up shrugging it off. After all, Yamamoto was a rather common surname in Japan, so she would not have been surprised if she saw ten Yamamotos in the hospital, even. She walked around for awhile more, having cooled down a little. The fact that Yamamoto would be okay was starting to settle down in her head, and slight relief soon followed, though guilt still pinned itself heavily on her heart.

"Ah, Sawada-san! Let's go for dinner, since Nii-san is done. Then, you'd better go home and have a good rest. Yamamoto will surely be awake and happy to greet you in the morning."

Tsuna stared at the ward's door for a while more, before her stomach growled again. She had no choice but to take up on Kyoko's offer.

The next day, Tsuna got up bright and early to prepare a tonic drink and some soup for Yamamoto before work, and made sure they were in properly insulated containers so that they would remain warm.

Tsuna knew that it was not the hospital's visiting hours, so she made a mental note to tell the nurse to pass the items to Yamamoto when he was up.

"You're up early, Tsuna," Reborn crept up behind her. Tsuna quickly stifled a scream.

"W-What, Reborn? You're here to stop me from going to work, aren't you!"

Reborn smiled, but shook his head.

"I find that it is an idle thing to pursue, seeing as you so vehemently disagree to it, I guess there is nothing I can do," he said as he helped himself into the seat, the housebot serving him a warm cup of coffee.

Tsuna narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Reborn was never the type to give up – he was annoyingly stubborn at best, and always insisted on things to go his way, do or die. Either way, she chose to let it pass that moment, as she had to detour to the hospital – travelling would take a fair bit of time.

"Goodbye, Reborn."

It was still dark outside when she first left the house, but dawn arrived soon enough, when she had gotten to the hospital. After checking in the items with the nurse on shift, she took a brief look at the ward again. The feeling of remorse and guilt started to creep up her body. She wanted to stay, but she had her own job to do, and money to earn. She could not ask Haru for any more concessions – Haru was already rather lax on the rules she operated upon, especially with fragile Tsuna.

Sighing, she took heavy, drawn out steps and began to make her way to work. Of course, it was another long and dragged-out day. It was not until mid-afternoon that things started to pick up a bit. It started off with a little bit of staring from Tsuna, at a little pixie-like girl. She had long, oddly coloured blue hair. Tsuna could admit, she looked rather cute, but what was a little girl like her doing? She probably was at best, twelve or thirteen years old, Tsuna reckoned. She even had childish looking shell-shaped jewels stuck to her head.

"Hello, what are you looking at!" Tsuna was interrupted from her thoughts as the girl had stalked up to her.

"I, uh, nothing. Just a few things," Tsuna trailed off. She could not say much – although inside, she thought that she might have been making a bit of social progress – she had not talked to any of the maids since she entered, other than I-pin. The rest seemed almost too robotic and cold to approach.

The girl stuck out a tongue and her hand.

"Pleased to be meeting you. My name is Bluebell."

Ah, Bluebell – blue hair. That made sense. Tsuna reached out to shake Bluebell's hand.

"Uhm, mine is Tsuna. Sawada Tsuna."

"Good then, Tsuna! We'll be, uhm, good colleagues from now onwards!" she said in a rather awkwardly phrased sentence.

"Ah, yeah, sure. Pardon me for asking, but why are you working here? Surely you aren't older…"

Bluebell stuck out another tongue.

"I'm twenty, for your information! And my family kind of needs food on the table, so here I am, working as a lowly maid!"

Tsuna noted – she was a rather feisty girl.

"Ah, sorry about that," she bit her lip. Well, at least she had someone to liven up her dull days when I-pin was not around. She had not seen I-pin for quite a while, so she wondered how she was doing. Thus, the pair quickly decided that they would correspond during work, just to make things less dull. After all, idle chat seemed to take one's mind of many things.

Except things that made one feel incredibly, incredibly, awful.

* * *

That evening, Tsuna found herself standing outside Yamamoto's ward. She was feeling a bit nervous about going in, especially since she had not spoken to Yamamoto since yesterday, when the incident happened.

She knocked on the door softly, before the door automatically slipped open and allowed her to go in. However, she was not greeted with only Yamamoto, but an angry (well, he was always angry anyway) Gokudera as well. Yamamoto, as typical of Yamamoto, sent a weak wave at her. Gokudera just huffed and turned his head away.

"Uh, hi Gokudera-san, and Yamamoto-san. Are you feeling better?"

"Soup was great," Yamamoto managed to eke out the following few words, although in relative pain. Tsuna understood – after all, fractured ribs made even breathing laborious. She put her bag down and went to sit by Yamamoto's side.

"Hibari really didn't hit that hard," Gokudera said.

"Huh?" Tsuna looked up, and Yamamoto turned to him as well.

"The guy could probably have easily broken his ribs and allowed the bones to pierce his organs. You don't need to worry as much about this idiot here – it was his fault for getting distracted in a fight."

"Oh, right," Tsuna said. She thought that it was odd – Gokudera spoke as though he was a seasoned fighter, as though they were experienced warriors who fought and indulged in violence on a regular basis. Then again, many, many things were odd.

After a brief awkward silence, she saw the containers resting on a different table. She got up and retrieved them, putting them back into her bag.

"I'm really sorry Yamamoto. I really shouldn't have wandered all over the mansion. It's what caused you this injury in the first place!"

"No worries," he replied, and smiled. That did not make Tsuna feel any more relief. If any, it made her feel much guiltier.

Seeing as there was nothing much to be said, Tsuna got up and bid the pair goodbye. She could get up early tomorrow again to make more soup, and she would do it every day to compensate for what Yamamoto had to go through. Jirou would probably miss him too, but sadly, pets were not allowed in the hospital.

Now that she felt a lot like crap, she honestly wished that maybe Natsu would be sent over soon. She had felt a little spiritual connection with the little lion cub – he could be some sort of emotional reprieve for her.

* * *

**A/N: **Okaay, I honestly have no excuse for this 3 month break. I kind of got obsessed with other things, and dropped KHR along the way. So yeah, I've kind of lost interest in the series (though I am still reading it) but I guess there's a little juice in me to keep the story going?


	22. Chapter 20: Fairytale

**Chapter 20: Fairytale**

* * *

_(Flashback)_

"It is essential that we understand the fundamentals of our project – not Project Guardians, oh, no. We all know it's a farce," Reborn said, taking a few paces back and forth from his desk.

The "Guardians" – Gokudera, Yamamoto, Ryohei, and Lambo sat calmly in their chairs ('calm' may have been an overstatement for Gokudera and Ryohei, however), listening as Reborn spoke. Abruptly, Reborn stopped in his pacing, instead choosing to lean against his desk. His silhouette – one that had formed as a result of the strong sunlight that shone up his back, could make one feel somewhat reminiscent of a sinister being as if they ever peered at him.

He grinned.

"Wonder – why do we see red when we are angry? Feel blue when we are sad? Why do we say when one wears awfully bright garb, that they wear loud clothing? How can the cold be bitter? Can we feel words? Taste emotion? Hear colours?"

He stood up again, returning to his usual pace.

"It's not logical, is it? These age old descriptions. How did they come about?"

"It is not unusual to meet people with a neurological condition, one which gives them conjoined sensory and cognitive pathways. It's not rare after all – these people are called synaesthetes. They're no different from you or me – nothing extraordinary. Most get off without knowing they had it in the first place. They can see sounds or music, or maybe see colours in letters. There are so many forms of this condition…"

"Cut to the point, old man," Gokudera rudely interjected. His patience was running thin.

"Ah, I just need to let go of some things. I'd like you to think about them. Meanwhile…I have a task for all of you.

I would like you to protect that scrawny maid from any mysterious figures. Keep an eye out on her – especially from Mukuro and Byakuran. Don't make it obvious that you are her _bodyguards." _

The quartet nodded.

"Leave."

As they all made their way up, Reborn retook his place on the table. He let out a chuckle as he picked up his tea cup.

"_This is truly why we called you Guardians. Guardians indeed." _

* * *

It had been weeks since the incident, and thankfully, Yamamoto was mostly well again. Tsuna had done her job of faithfully delivering soup to him every day of his stay in the hospital. Other changes to her life had included Natsu, whose delivery to the mansion was delayed for unspecified reasons.

The little lion cub had grown within the time frame that Tsuna did not see him. He had grown a lot more active, a far cry from his sleeping form when she first saw him. As Fuuta placed Natsu on the shelter's grounds for the first time, he bounded up happily towards Tsuna, rubbing his small back against her ankles.

Tsuna had managed to communicate a lot more with Gokudera as well, as it was always the both of them visiting Yamamoto at his ward. The three had a lot of time to interact with each other – 'interaction' being mostly Yamamoto laughing, Gokudera groaning, and Tsuna scratching her head in all due awkwardness.

Thankfully, ever since then, Gokudera had regarded Tsuna with much kindlier eyes, though sometimes, Tsuna could taste his frustration when he looked at her, and other times, melancholy. Tsuna had never thought much of this. She thought that she felt the very same sentiments from Yamamoto – occasionally it brought back memories of their first meeting – but mostly, she brushed off these odd feelings.

Bluebell, in the mean time, had served a very lovely companion. Whereas the maids normally shunned Tsuna (They had strange, robotic eyes – it was as though they had no emotion. Tsuna felt that she was better off not knowing them, anyway), at least she could have someone to talk to regularly on weekdays, joined by I-pin on the weekends.

Life was falling into regularity – early morning calls from Haru, friends to laugh with, work to contend with – Tsuna was getting used to the slow paced life that she led. Nothing could ruin the absolute tranquility of the moment – but of course, nothing could last forever. Tsuna had been lulled into a false sense of security – one as naïve as she would not have figured that one day, her short moment of peace would be irrevocably shattered.

It was a lovely Friday evening, a few degrees warmer than it had been in the preceding months. Snow already began to thaw off from the previous snowy days. Tsuna had just about finished cleaning up. Bluebell left a lot earlier, having to prepare meals for her family at home.

When she finally put her cleaning tools away, an annoying, shrill screech filled her ears. She reached up with urgency (to end the cacophony, that was) to pick up the call.

"Hello, Sawada speaking."

"Tsuna! How would you like to join Gokudera and I for dinner?" It was the cheerful voice of Yamamoto's that piped through the speaker.

"Uh, Yamamoto-san, good evening! I think I'll pass if you're going to another high end restaurant – I don't think I'd like to be a hassle to you two too much…"

"No, no! It's nothing like that. Today, we're having a humble meal! A picnic under the cherry blossom tree you showed me last time. Remember? You said you wanted to have a picnic here some day, and I figured, today might be a great day to do it – y'know, spend the night just talking, watching the city lights. Sounds good? I'll wait outside the mansion – you're still in there, right?"

"Mm," Tsuna nodded. She supposed it sounded fun – as opposed to just returning to the apartment, facing Reborn, and maybe idling about.

"Yeah, I'll go."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, the trio was standing in front of the gargantuan tree.

"Well, this is it," Yamamoto said happily. Gokudera seemed somewhat in awe of the tree, but he fought to mask his excitement. Tsuna smiled as she looked at the grey haired man – he sure had his stubborn and childish traits.

They first began by pitching a tent – though it was not a tent in a sense that it was largely transparent; instead, it was more of an insulator to keep people warm if they ever chose to have outdoor activities in the winter. So in a sense, it acted as a resting shelter in which one could seek immediate respite from the cold.

Yamamoto brought out a portable lamp and hung it at the roof of the shelter, while Tsuna and Gokudera plopped themselves down on the soft mat, laying out the sumptuous spread that Yamamoto had taken the liberty to order. He may have said that the meal was "humble", but it most certainly was not. The only difference, Tsuna could see clearly, was that they were having it _outside _of the restaurant. Of course, he had cleverly deceived her.

"All set! When we finish up, maybe we could go outside for a bit. It's a pity that the night's too cold to be eating outside, but I guess this is the only time we're all free, aren't we?" Yamamoto never failed the keep the atmosphere up.

"Well, let's eat!" Tsuna said, and the three eagerly dug down into the meal, watching as the grey sky faded to a darker grey, and as the city lit the night. The meal was filled with laughter, groaning, and meaningless conversations. It was times like these that Tsuna felt life could never be more impeccable. She made a note to invite everyone for such a picnic in the near future – hopefully in spring when it was warmer and the trees started blooming.

She packed up the remains of the containers and trays, neatly stacked into bags. Gokudera was lying on his back, looking at the dead branches of the tree and the emptiness of the sky. He grunted, flipping onto his side.

Meanwhile, Yamamoto leaned back, his hands propping himself up. Tsuna had chosen a more restrained way of sitting, deciding that it was only polite to do so. They may have treated her as a friend, but she could not forget that these people were also her "higher ups", so to speak.

"That was fun, huh." Yamamoto said as he pat his belly.

Gokudera flipped around again.

"Pick a better location next time, damn it. You made this place out to be so brilliant, but what I see is a gigantic dead piece of wood."

Tsuna frowned. The "gigantic dead piece of wood" after all, seemed to take on a much greater significance in her life than the degrading title Gokudera had slapped on it.

"Shall we go outside for a little air?" Yamamoto suggested, in order to break the tension.

"You two go ahead. I'd rather stay in here," Gokudera waved his hand dismissively. Tsuna shook her head in his direction, and gave a nod in Yamamoto's.

"You sure, Gokudera?"

"Hngh."

Tsuna had found herself settled on the soft grass again, the brilliant lights of the city reflected in her eyes. The same skyscrapers, the same chirping sounds – exactly the same place she had been on New Year's Eve. The difference was that she was now accompanied by someone. She was no longer alone, no longer in that thin piece of cloth that called itself a windbreaker. That was the difference.

"Haha, we're back here again! Honestly, I wanted Gokudera out here with us, but he's always being a grump. Don't worry though – you'll find out that he's a softie one day. He has his moments too," Yamamoto said, leaning back into the tree bark.

It was silent for awhile, and Tsuna could hear Yamamoto's soft breaths. Was he about to say something? Maybe she should break the silence –

A gust of wind sent Tsuna shivering, and her teeth clacked loudly, disrupting her from what she was about to say. Instead, Yamamoto wrapped an arm around her and forced her to lean in towards him. It felt warm, but most of the heat came from Tsuna's nervousness and blushing. She was far too close to him. As her thoughts ran like a runaway locomotive, Yamamoto placed his hand on her head, patting it a few times.

"But he'd be angry if he found out what I'm about to say to you…"

"Huh?"

"Well, you told me some of your very intimate memories, didn't you? It's only right if I return the favour!"

Tsuna jolted up and shook her head vigorously.

"No! It's alright; I did that on my own jurisdiction. It's ok if you don't want to share them with me, especially if Gokudera-san gets mad!"

Yamamoto did not reply. Instead, he gave a wry smile – one that Tsuna could barely make out if it were not for the city lights that shone at a distance.

"There was once a girl…"

* * *

Hibari slammed the car door. He had decided that he was not in the best of moods on that day, having to face Reborn, that stupid Sawada, and that sly bastard all in a row. With practiced calmness, he made his way up to the park.

It had, after all, been a place he had sought respite in for many years counting. It was a place that was special to him. Occasionally that place got visitors – kids who had strayed off the park's path, or maybe the strange girl he had met on New Year's. He never saw her face, nor did he ever see her appear at the same spot again.

It was then, when he walked off the path and up a different hill that his ears perked up and he heard the sound of laughter and conversation. That was strange – people definitely did not find the time to idle to his secret spot. Why were they now crowding around it? This only served to sour his mood.

As he stepped up, past the tall shrubbery and bushes, he saw the reason for the sounds of merrymaking. Yamamoto, Gokudera, and that scrawny maid had made themselves home to the place, eating happily and talking loudly.

"Tch."

They had desecrated his territory, but he supposed that it would be childish of him to disrupt their jollity. He would just have to bite them another day. Then, it came to his attention – what if the scrawny maid was that girl he met that day? They did seem to have the same shade of brown hair – although his vision could not be completely accurate that day, in the dimness of that time.

Hibari caught himself further entangled in thoughts he did not like to entertain. They were not important. For now, he would retreat back to his apartment, and decide on the course of punishment he would prescribe to those idiots.

* * *

**A/N: **So I found motivation to write again..for the first time in 2 months. I'm sorry guys. Also, a certain idiot demanded that I dedicate this once-in-a-blue-moon chapter to her.

School's busy too - I don't think I'll have time to reply the reviews, but I'm very grateful if you leave me some!


	23. Chapter 21: Those Flowers

**Chapter 21: Those Flowers Will Never Bloom**

* * *

"Natsusa! Natsusa!"

The girl turned around. She was probably no older than six or seven. Her inquiring brown eyes ran across the boy, who was slightly taller and plumper than she was. He was, in comparison the little fair maiden before him, rugged and messy. In the distance, she could see Takeshi's mother waving. She waved back before turning towards the boy again.

"Takeshi-chan," she said, acknowledging his presence.

Takeshi panted in response. Soon, another set of footsteps were heard running up to the pair.

"Oi, idiot! Don't leave me behind like that again."

"Ah, Haya-chan! You're supposed to be _fast (1), _aren't you?" Takeshi retorted.

"Stop it!" Hayato said, pressing his small fist into Takeshi's cheek, "we're going to be late for school! And on the first week too."

Hayato proceeded to pick up Natsusa's and Takeshi's hands, dragging them along in the general direction of their school.

Natsusa, the only female of the three, was a rather short and rather emaciated. Despite looking pitiable most of the time, she had a sweet-tempered disposition and carried a broad smile on her face. She was not the brightest kid around town, but she had that bright smile to make up for it. The Sawadas had moved into Kubora City _(2)_ just two years back, although her father rarely, if not ever, showed his face at home. Natsusa's first friends in the new, unfamiliar environment were Hayato and Takeshi, and it was not long before they hit off. She did not mind the taunts of, "you're gonna get cooties!" get to her, although sometimes it annoyed her that her female peers seemed to be adamant about keeping their precious gender divide.

Takeshi was the brawn of the group, always getting into small scuffles and competitions. He was friendly, always giving out toothy grins and warm hugs to many of his classmates. He was raised in a wholesome family, his father manning a humble sushi restaurant, one of the last few of its kind.

Lastly, Hayato was the group's brain, being able to solve many complex mathematical calculations (for his age, at least) and memorise many scientific concepts of the time. It was not only the book smarts that both Takeshi and Natsusa appreciated him for, but he had a fair amount of street smarts and common sense that got the trio out of sticky situation many times. Hayato came from a fairly affluent family, as Natsusa and Takeshi could observe from play-dates at his house. There was one thing that puzzled them though – he always never talked about his father, and they never saw his mother much either.

As the trio had come from reasonably well-to-do families, as well as one of the better off cities in Japan, they were shielded by the plague of misery and sadness that came with the _progression_ of society – an irony that they would never have known of, given the undisturbed, orderly lives they were allowed to live; they were very much hidden away from the throes of society: a coddled bunch.

They idled away the time of their childhoods with virtual reality games; however, when the weather permitted, they often went out to the newly constructed park – the only of its kind in Kubora City. While their peers had so eagerly engaged themselves in the plethora of technology that catered to even the littlest toddler, Natsusa found exhilaration in spending time with what little nature she had access to.

* * *

"Ah, this poor flower!" Natsusa exclaimed, bending down to tend to a poor, nearly withered flower. It was not the prettiest flower one could ever find, being thin and frail and having small, pale petals – it was ordinary. Natsusa loved these sorts of weeds the most as she felt they bore the most resemblance to her – scrawny, unnoticeable and shoved aside.

It was a crowded day at the park, so the trio were put on close watch by Yamamoto's mother, who to Natsusa's mother's delight, regularly offered to babysit the young playmates.

"Wow, Natsu-chan. That's a very pretty flower you have there," Mrs Yamamoto bent down next to her, looking at her with the kindest eyes Natsusa ever remembered – of course, second to her own mother's. One would never guess a boy as cheeky and playful as Takeshi would be Mrs Yamamoto's son – she treated everything with endearment and gentleness, and her long, brown hair was often tied up into a large, neat bun in the summertime. Takeshi, on the other hand, would try his best to be covered in bruises and cuts, and his hair was messed up almost constantly.

"How is it? It's boring and plain and no one notices something like that, ever. It's frail and can't even live on its own," Natsusa said, cupping the flower in her hand.

"Silly girl," Mrs Yamamoto said, placing her hand upon the small girl's head, "even the rose wilts, after having spent its lifetime being beautiful and fragrant. It will mourn the loss of its elegance, even more so than this flower ever will ever weep its own demise."

"What do you mean?" the girl peered up at the woman.

Mrs Yamamoto stood back up, shaking her head.

"Dear, little Natsu-chan. You'll understand when you're not so little anymore. The most beautiful have the most pain. The greater mankind tries to climb, the harder he will fall."

Natsusa looked back down at the flower, not comprehending what Mrs Yamamoto had just imparted unto her.

"Well then, Miss Flower. May I sing you a final song?"

Mrs Yamamoto chuckled at the girl, who began singing, albeit out of tune. The screams and shouts of Takeshi could be heard from a distance, impeding into the tender lullaby that Natsusa hummed. But then, the little girl was in her little world, away from all that was violent and sad.

* * *

"Ah, I see. That's a wonderful childhood friend you have there, don't you?" Tsuna said, smiling. However, something of Yamamoto's behaviour did puzzle her – in spite of recalling the happier memories of his childhood, he seemed to keep silent after that, slouching back down into the tree bark. Tsuna felt an overwhelming surge of emotion blanket her senses, and found herself staring into blank space for a split moment – why was she hearing, tasting, smelling… _feeling _all this emotion. For that moment, she drowned in a certain grief and melancholy, and she herself knew not why.

"Oi, are you okay? You've been giving me that horrified blank stare for about thirty seconds now, Sawada," Gokudera's harsh voice broke her out of it, and Tsuna snapped her head up to see Gokudera, hands in pockets, standing in front of the pair. In misery's place, she felt a growing headache and nausea build up from the pit of her stomach.

"I don't feel so good," she coughed out. It was then Yamamoto decided to wake from his reverie.

"Uh! Sorry about that. We should go now if you aren't feeling that well. We'll send you back first," he said, getting up and wobbling a little.

Yamamoto was definitely out of character, Tsuna thought. He ignored Gokudera and Tsuna has he walked away, head clouded in its own thoughts.

Gokudera had noticed Tsuna's perplexed glances at Yamamoto's back, and he decided to speak.

"He was telling you of our childhood story, wasn't he?"

Tsuna meekly nodded, remembering what Yamamoto said about Gokudera's violent fits. To her surprise, Gokudera did not fly into rage – instead, he put on the same mask of sorrow the Yamamoto wore moments ago.

"The girl he mentioned – Natsusa. The both of us were hoping to see her again, when we received news of her death."

Tsuna bowed her head. She had no idea how to respond, knowing that Yamamoto and Gokudera had disclosed the most intimate moments of their memories to her.

"I'm sorry."

She felt Gokudera's warm palm on her head as he ruffled her hair.

"It's okay."

Yamamoto had the most trouble sleeping that night. The reminiscing, the recalling…the resemblance. The girl's resemblance to Natsusa bothered him the most, but by most accounts of logic, the dead could most definitely not rise from the grave. Unless science had developed a sort of warped, degenerate form of technology that allowed _resurrection. _He shuddered at the thought.

He flipped around again. This time, he tried forcing all his thoughts out of his head, in hopes of being able to attain some sleep. The next day would be a long, arduous one, and he certainly did not want to lack energy when dawn woke him.

* * *

"Takeshi! I want you to come down for a moment."

The boy, now just barely a teen, hopped off his bed and dropped his electronic book. Over the years, he had barely outgrown his childish looks, but he had shed his childlike innocence. His eyes had grown sharper, the brown turning duller over the past few years. On his face, a large gash could be seen from his lower lip all the way across to under his chin. He hopped down the stairs – two steps a time – past his late mother's altar, and to the narrow hallway that lead to the front door.

A surprise greeted him there.

Another boy, perhaps no more than a year older than him, stood facing him. His luggage bag stood right next to him. Yamamoto could only guess that he would be a new guest in his house. However, what disturbed him most – and subsequently etched the following memory into his mind – would be the chilling look that the boy gave him. It was dark, and he had a terrifying aura that hung around him, that bore into the hearts of people. The harrowing glint that those grey eyes gave him – he would never forget that.

He knew – the boy had been through far too much, just far too much for himself to take. His will was crushed in the misgivings of life – then again, there were many more in the world who suffered. The world was not, would not, and could never be a utopia. The rich would continue their tyrannical clutch of the very poor. Yamamoto, in that sense, found himself extremely lucky. However, he could not search his heart to find a smile any longer. It happens – everyone breaks. That would be his rationale.

Then, right before him, was a boy quintessential of the broken. The heart-wrenching stares that he gave continued to bear down upon Yamamoto.

Yamamoto Tsuyoshi, the compassionate old man who was his father, bent down and whispered into his ear.

"_He is the son of two of my very old friends. His parents died in an unfortunate accident months ago, so I hope that you'll find in your heart, a way to welcome the boy."_

Old Tsuyoshi raised an inviting arm towards the boy.

"Please, do come in."

Silently, he picked up his bag and stepped in cautiously. The three found themselves seated with warm snacks and drinks to accompany them in the peak of such cold weather. The ensuing scene was awkward, none of the two boys dared speak, and Tsuyoshi looked at each boy, some part of him hoping that they would both accept the other and become friends.

"Uh, so! A short introduction? Hibari-san, this is my son, Takeshi. Takeshi, this is Hibari Kyouya-san. He will be staying with us from now onwards," Tsuyoshi said, trying to dispel the uncomfortable atmosphere that had formed.

"Pleasure to meet you," Yamamoto raised his palm up for a hand shake (_at least he was trying), _but Hibari ignored it. He put his cup down and turned to the elder Yamamoto.

"Mr Yamamoto, may I please retreat? It was a rather long journey, so I am fatigued," he said, with utmost politeness. Yamamoto was getting a little annoyed at his snobbery – if he were going to freeload, he should damn well know better than to be such a jerk.

"Well then, Takeshi. Can you please lead him to the room I prepared? It's your mother's old study room. I moved out her things to my room so that we could have space."

It was at this moment Yamamoto's agitation got the better of him.

"Why the hell are you giving him mom's room?" he said in a fit. He took umbrage to Hibari's displeasing behaviour towards him, and now his father was allowing him to stay in his _late _mother's room. Yamamoto took to the stairs, not bothering to escort the new guest to his room. He could go look after himself for all he cared.

Yamamoto could hear a heavy set of footsteps, then a lighter thud as his father and Hibari traversed across to the old study room. That night, both boys knew one thing for sure.

Any semblance of a friendship was lost between the both of them.

* * *

(1) 速い - _hayai - _meaning "fast". A play on Gokudera's name, _Haya_to.

(2) Kubora City - A made up place in Japan. Because I can.

**A/N: **What is I don't accidentally nevermind.

Oh yes, sorry to the person who asked for a longer chapter! I wrote this before you posted that review, so I guess I _could _try to write a longer chapter in June.

And to everyone, thanks for the reviews/feedback and sorry for the long breaks between each update!

Also, _edit; _I placed a "Namimori" where "Kubora" should have been. If this caused any confusion..sorry, though I don't think a lot of people noticed (and it won't really affect anything subsequently.)


	24. Chapter 22: Brief Normality

**Chapter 22: Brief Normality **__

* * *

_****_"Grocery! Grocery! Grocery shop-ping!" Haru cheered as she marched along the stone path that sat in between rows of shops. There was a cacophony of sounds – Haru's out of tune singing, buyers bargaining and sellers shouting. To make things worse (for Tsuna's headache, at least), each shop had loud, obtrusive holographic billboards flashing right in her face. The chaos of intense colours battled each other to catch every potential customer's attention, and the discordance did nothing to help her burgeoning headache.

Bluebell walked beside Tsuna with her light blue hair, for once, neatly tied in a long ponytail. It swung from side to side as she cheerfully sauntered down the road, making sure she took a good look at what every store had to offer.

To Tsuna's right, was the (thankfully) saner, less excited I-Pin, who took on grocery shopping as a very important task.

"Are you sure it's okay to be skipping school today?" Tsuna turned to her right, trying her best to ignore the two batty women who kindly took to accompanying the pair.

"It's okay, yeah! Today is mostly self-study, and we're short on money this month," I-Pin said.

"Alright, then. I wonder, why of all times now, for the delivery system to break down," Tsuna pondered.

"Technical issues. And then somehow, there have been fewer and fewer maids at the mansion. Most of our employers don't perpetually stay there; we probably didn't need so much manpower in the first place. I guess cost-cutting would be most efficient for a place that doubles up as a holiday house and an occasional work space."

Tsuna nodded. I-Pin quickly diverted her attention to a shop which had extremely fresh and large vegetables on sale.

"There's a law, isn't there? That every employer has to hire a certain percentage of human workers instead of employing something supposedly absolutely reliable like robots. Trying to prevent massive unemployment. Hey, do you sometimes think that… those maids aren't actually human? I've seen them – they've never talked to me all the time I worked here, and they have a certain void air about them…"

"Not human? Then what, homunculi?" Tsuna chortled, "They're human alright. Whispering, giving me weird looks…but I never seem to be able to talk to them either."

Tsuna paid for the vegetables while I-Pin carefully slotted them into their shopping bag.

"Oi! Over here!" Haru chirped from a distance as she hopped up and down. She made huge waving actions with her hands, eventually knocking into the forehead of some poor lady.

"Oops, heh!"

Tsuna smiled wryly.

"I don't think I want to know her for this moment, even if she's indirectly my boss."

"Agreed."

They both tried to avoid eye contact with Haru and Bluebell, as they bumbled through the market in awe of absolutely everything they saw. They were probably the technophiles, never having done anything apart from using the latest gadgets.

Markets like these were scarce – for everything else, there were giant supermarkets owned by big companies – however, neither novelty nor commercialization could take away the uniqueness of markets. It was places like this that one could get absolutely – and not _chemically-genetically-wonderfully-whatever-ly _modified fresh food, but a more natural, fresher produce, in which you could guarantee there were not as many additives added to your food to make it look appetizing even after three weeks on the shelf. Typically, it could not be said that these shops did not use chemicals to grow their crops –they were bound to need it, especially for growing crops in seasons like winter. At least they abstained from using copious amounts of the stuff; still, the price of less artificially maintained food was ridiculous at times.

"Wow, look at this crystal!" Bluebell peered down at a crystallized heart that was put on display in a souvenir shop. They had since finished getting their groceries, and proceeded to a different section of the market. There were a variety of goods sold here – from clothes to ornaments to newfangled electronics.

The crystallized heart was rather elaborately carved, especially on the inside. Tsuna could see tiny baubles moving in sync with a pair of gears. A clockwork heart? Well, that was adorable. Her interest and attention towards to heart dissipated almost instantly as she spied her regularly visited bookshop from the peripheral vision of her eye. She recalled the unfortunate incident with Yamamoto, and wondered if she should chance another rare visitation. Risky, since she was with three people now. She shook her head.

"Eh?"

All of a sudden, Tsuna found herself alone. Haru, Bluebell and I-Pin had long integrated into a crowd of people. A mentally resounding _crap _ran through Tsuna's mind. Well, her panic soon faded as she figured she could just get back to the mansion on her own. I-Pin had the groceries, so instead of idling in the market, Tsuna decided that she would just make her way back immediately.

She carefully navigated herself against the wave of people moving in the opposite direction, often having to twist her body to the side and walk sideways to get across.

"Oof," she grunted, as she stumbled out of the crowd five minutes later. She wiped off a few imaginary drops of perspiration, took in a long breath and began to walk again.

"Oh, look who it is," a shrill voice rang out in the air, followed by a lower-pitched giggle. Annoyance flooded back into Tsuna's head as she recalled who the voices belonged to.

Miyoshi Haruno and Inagaki Hirame.

Perfect timing, after so many years of not having to see them.

She turned around to face the pair – the pair whom she quite clearly remembered to be her tormentors in high school. Not that the entire school already tormented her, but this pair made it a point to make her entire high school life as miserable as humanly possible. Tsuna, being Tsuna, managed to shrug off most of it – but sometimes the bullying could verge on the point of the absolutely unthinkable, and the downright perverse.

Miyoshi Haruno was slightly taller; she had long legs, a perfectly slim figure and a pretty face. It seemed, Tsuna observed, that she made it a point to immediately dye her hair blonde as soon as she graduated. Her short hair was aligned along the contour of her round face; she had somehow made her eyelashes long and thick, accentuating her doll-like eyes. As you could guess, she was every boy's dream back in high school – the stereotypical beauty.

Inagaki Hirame was slightly less appealing to the eye, though she was still, on accounts of most standards, pretty. A little stubbier, she had black shoulder length hair and narrower eyes than Miyoshi. She put on excessive amounts of make-up over her face; Tsuna had to try to keep herself from laughing. She thought that Inagaki could pass off as a clown perfectly.

What these two had in the looks department they utterly lacked in their moral standards. They were vile and malicious, and Tsuna had made it a point to keep the _hell _out of their way the moment she graduated. Her plan did not work out in the end, sadly.

"Ah, poor useless Tsuna. Nothing but a lowly maid!" Miyoshi scoffed. Inagaki shot her a condescending glare, and Tsuna involuntarily shrunk back.

"Well, I'm actually working for my own money," _Disgusting gold-diggers, _she mentally tagged on at the end of her sentence.

Both of them actually looked offended at the statement. Well, not that it was untrue. They had sought rich boyfriends back in high school, hoping that he would answer to their every whim and fancy.

Miyoshi bared her fangs – well, teeth, but she was no better than a vixen – she stepped forward, and soon the difference in height became obvious to Tsuna. Of course, a thousand inch stilettos. Once upon a time, she wondered what was so entrancing about those torture devices disguised as fashion.

With a push, Tsuna was sent flying backwards onto the concrete ground. She yelled out in pain as she felt the hard land connect with her back. By then, a small crowd had formed to look at the commotion, though it dispersed as quickly as it had formed, seeing as it was just a little scuffle.

"What did you say, _bitch?" _Miyoshi shrieked.

"I said, I am not an indolent, incompetent sloth," Tsuna retorted.

_What the hell are you doing? Why are you just arguing back like that? Just ignore it, just take it, just make sure they don't hurt me, just make sure they don't hurt me, just make sure they... _Apparently, Tsuna's instincts of self-preservation had decided to break off from her steadily growing rage.

It was then Miyoshi screamed. Tsuna plugged her ears with her two fingers, and even Inagaki did the same.

"How dare you, you insolent wrench!" Miyoshi stepped forward, and Tsuna could recognize the stance.

She was about to be slapped, and hard. She pinched her eyes shut, bracing herself for the impact.

And it came – a stinging, burning wound to the side of her face. Inagaki gasped, and then nervously giggled.

"You'll learn never to say that again!"

Tears started to form in Tsuna's eyes as the pain spread across to the entire side of her face.

"Guh," she muttered softly. Her eyes were still shut, and she cupped her cheek, hoping that it would relieve a bit of pain and also hide her tears. That would only serve to satisfy them even more.

Miyoshi smiled. There was a sort of maniacal glint in her eyes. She grabbed Tsuna by the wrist and tugged her up onto her feet.

"Our meeting today was no coincidence," she breathed into Tsuna's ear.

What did she mean?

Inagaki went to her other side and took her other hand, although a little less roughly. Maybe Inagaki sympathized with her pitiful state.

Miyoshi lead the way out of the market and into a more secluded alleyway. It was disturbingly dark, even though it was noon and the sun was still high. She found herself tossed into melting black snow. Her captor sinisterly glared down on her with an intimidating smirk.

"Ujisuke! Ryuuji! We got the target," she called out.

Two buff musclemen approached from the shadows.

"This one right?" she scoffed. She walked up to the side of where Tsuna's arm lay.

"Before you take her," Miyoshi said.

She raised her leg and brought it down upon Tsuna's right hand, stiletto, heel and all. Tsuna howled as she heard a sickening crunch, and pain immediately travelled from her palm to her arm. She could feel warm blood leaking out. She gave a few ragged coughs, nausea rising to her head.

"This'll teach you," Miyoshi sneered, "take her, boys."

Just as the two burly men approached the whimpering, limp figure on the ground, a shadow leaped from the top of the walls. Cold, steel tonfas met the heads of the two men, bringing them to a quick demise.

There, Hibari stood, majestic as a lion in his battle stance. He spared a glance towards Tsuna, and then back at the women.

"Hah! You think you can beat us with such old weapons?" Inagaki's eyes widened. She was desperate – she knew the intensity of the bloodlust of the man, and she could see by the quick deaths of her companions.

Miyoshi had stealthily drawn a gun. She had put all her faith in the gun – of course, her bullets could rip through anythi-

"Aagh!" a contorted scream emerged from her mouth. Barbed wires shot out from the ends of Hibari's tonfas and tightened themselves around Miyoshi's wrists. He gave a final tug and the sharp ends dug into her flesh, fresh blood spilling out. The wires then detached themselves as Miyoshi fell to the ground.

"Roll."

Inagaki had tried to run out from the alley, but Roll began to grow in size, blocking her only path of escape. The pricks on its back slowly morphed into sharp metal lances, capable of impaling anyone who found themselves in an unfortunate position. As Roll grew, he seemingly multiplied; more hedgehogs emerged from the tips of some of the lances, and grew in size as well, until they formed a massive, deadly wall.

Tsuna then realized- they were not pets.

They were _weapons. _

Hibari did the same to Inagaki – the painful binding – and left the two women writhing in pain on the ground, unable to move their hands. Their wrists were tightly bound at the back. The last thing that Tsuna saw before passing out was the shadow of Hibari approaching her.

* * *

"Yes, Byakuran-sama," Bluebell spoke into the tiny device attached to her ear. It was a phone – but no one could tell that one had it, or was speaking into it, as it as small enough to be installed right above the lobe of the ear.

"I've done it. Tampered with the m

ansion's delivery systems…lured the girl out," she spoke softly into her device. She twirled her hair and leaned to the side.

"And results?" Byakuran purred from the other side.

"I lost my communications with the people I hired. Most likely dead, I presume. But don't worry, my lord. They won't get away so easily,"

"That's my Bluebell," Byakuran half-laughed.

"I have a question, Byakuran-sama."

"What is it?"

"I do not doubt your actions, but why do you call upon Mukuro to capture the girl, but ask me to do the same, and by force?"

"Ah, young Bluebell. You have much to learn. We always have to have a plan B. If we can't seize the girl by force, then we'll seize her by the heart. Well then Bluebell, keep up the good work."

"Yes, Byakuran-sama."

The line on the other end cut off, leaving empty silence in its place. Bluebell got off her sofa.

"I'll definitely get you, and make Byakuran-sama happy."

* * *

**A/N: **Congratulations to a certain someone who finished her exams.


	25. Chapter 23: The Cursed Doll

**Chapter 23: The Cursed Doll**

* * *

Hibari had run for about five minutes, carrying Tsuna in his arms. Her blood had spread across his lavender shirt, making him click his tongue once or twice in annoyance. They were in the middle of an unused and deserted road; a different road had been built in its place years ago, so this road was closed down. Unfortunately, Hibari needed a discreet way to get to his destination, so that road would be the only convenient path; he could not use his vehicle, which he had left near the marketplace.

Setting the girl's body on the side of the road, he took out a small medical kit – he figured that he was a safe distance by then, and needed to quickly tend to her for awhile before he could arrive at the Vongola stronghold.

Inside the kit was a vial of sour-looking orange liquid, a roll of bandages, a syringe and another small container of clear liquid. Hibari started by placing Tsuna's injured arm out of the way. He drew some of the clear liquid into the syringe, and then carefully inserted it into Tsuna's wrist. It would numb the pain for about thirty minutes; ample time to get to the safe spot. Next, he tore a piece of bandage and rubbed some of the orange liquid over it, wiping it over the bleeding wounds - it was a sort of medicine that would stimulate accelerated healing, but Hibari knew that it only worked on the surface abrasions that Tsuna had, and would not do much to help the deep wound caused by the crushing of the sharp heels. He used as little force as possible, knowing that the bones in Tsuna's fingers were mostly crushed or broken. Miyoshi had certainly taken the liberty to cause as much pain and hurt as possible.

Finally, he lightly wrapped her hands. Tsuna was still passed out, presumably from the shock and pain; Hibari could not help but to scoff at her weakness. It was Hibari after all – he had many a time been called a chauvinistic bastard.

"I found you," a low, husky voice rang out in the air.

Hibari stood up slowly, drawing his tonfas. Behind him was a man – no, he looked more like a discarded ragdoll. He wore a strange red shirt that was torn in places. It looked ten sizes bigger than he; the same could be said for his dark coloured pants. Drooping from his breast pocket was a withered daisy, and in his left arm was a faded pink rabbit. It was broken and spilling, but the most noticeable part of the rabbit was the large sewn tear across its face.

It resembled the throbbing scar across the face of its master.

"Give me that girl, give me that girl!" he said, hopping up and taking a few steps towards Hibari. He walked awkwardly – his back was hunched and his legs were bent as he walked.

Hibari scowled and lunged forward. However, just as he thought his tonfas would meet the man's face, the man took one graceful step backwards.

"Hey, won't you give her to me…?" he said, trying to employ a coaxing tone by dragging the syllables in his words; however, he still managed to keep monotony in his voice, and it shook at irregular intervals. This man – from his appearance to the way he spoke – he was the nightmare incarnate.

"No," Hibari simply replied, and went in for another attack. The man dropped his rabbit doll and looked down, as though sad and withdrawn.

"…I see," he sniffed. As Hibari drew closer, the man looked up and unexpectedly swung his fist forwards, landing a hit on Hibari's gut. Hibari choked in surprise, but managed to do a back flip in the air and regain his composure.

"I'm Daisy," the man said. "You'll be my next doll, won't you? Lots of people have died to become dolls, and I have a lot of fun. Too bad they all rot away afterwards and start to smell foul. I just don't understand." His voice contained a certain cheer in it, in spite of the topic at hand as well as the perpetual frown that lingered on his face.

"Keh," Hibari said. He flipped his tonfas around; the metal parts started shifting around until soon, two twin guns lay in his hands. He aimed and shot as Daisy continued with his banter.

"Oh! You can't do that when someone is talking. It's rude," Daisy said, dodging the first bullet. The second bullet hit his arm however, and blood streamed down. Hibari's eyes widened in a rare display of shock as he saw Daisy's arm patch itself up after spitting the bullet out.

"Oh, that's another thing I forgot to tell you."

Hibari was beyond listening now as he aimed both guns at Daisy. As Daisy ran, the bullets changed their trajectory and picked up speed on the man; they were homing bullets that would follow its target until it reached its maximum speed, at which only a great force could redirect or stop it. This was dangerous for obvious reasons – the target could easily redirect the bullets to hit someone else after it could not change its course of flight – though, only _if _the target could outrun the bullet at maximum speed. That would be impossible and inhumane, so the flaw of the bullet had yet to be exploited.

Daisy could only avoid the bullets for about five seconds before they punched bloody holes into his back. He fell to the road, coughing and spitting blood. Then, just as before, his body healed itself. He scowled, and tried to quickly think of a counter strategy.

"I'm a modified superhuman –" Daisy said, picking up his trampled rabbit.

A _modified superhuman. _Well, that was a first.

"Byakuran-sama made my body immortal! Every bit of fiber – every cell was modified to have the properties of stem cells, except better. All my tissues, my limbs, every living, breathing part of me will regenerate at an elevated rate, so much so that nothing can wound me or kill me," his voice was shaking uncontrollably now.

Hibari's eyes narrowed. As Daisy talked, he drew a special clip from his pocket and loaded it into his tonfa-guns.

"See this scar here! I was almost hacked to pieces…my head…and Byakuran-sama saved me!" Daisy trailed on.

"Shut up," Hibari said. He fired just one shot at Daisy, whose eyes were rolling around fantastically as he harbored thoughts of his precious savior. The shot hit Daisy squarely in the chest, and Daisy stopped talking.

"That's no good, you shouldn't abruptly ruin –…" Daisy stopped midway as he felt something swell up in his chest.

"Let me help you amplify those regenerative powers," Hibari stepped forward and kneeled in front of his enemy, who was now keeling on the road. Hibari squeezed Daisy's chin between his forefinger and thumb and mockingly smiled. Then, he let the Daisy drop to the ground as his entire body convulsed and twitched and jerked violently.

Hibari had figured – if he could not punch a wound or kill Daisy with orthodox methods, then he would do the opposite; the bullet that he fired contained the same drug that he had applied on Tsuna's hand, except it was a lot more concentrated and most definitely not for humans. It would cause the regeneration within Daisy's body to go out of hand.

Hibari clicked the micro-transmitter in his ear on.

"Hello!" A friendly voice piped.

"Dino, track my location and take care of the man there."

Hibari went back to the still unconscious Tsuna, picked her up, and began to run again.

* * *

Reborn sat at his desk facing away from Iemitsu.

"So, what do you propose we do?" he said, lazily resting his head on the back of his palm. Iemitsu's face wrinkled as he went into deep thought.

"I'm not letting you kill her," he said with an air of finality.

"And you're going to let her kill everyone else once she's fallen into the Millefiore's hands? They've made their move, I trust you know that, Mr Sawada," Reborn scathingly said. He knew that Sawada Iemitsu was his boss, but sometimes the man was too headstrong, so Reborn did not really bother to respect him.

"That experiment was a mistake," Iemitsu said. He combed his hand through his hair, sighing.

"Everything is a mistake then."

"Paracelsus' homunculus. Never would we know several centuries later that we could artificially create human lives. Never would anyone have known we took the theory and blown it up several times…"

Reborn tilted his head to the side.

"A double edged sword. We sell these created human lives – no, _products. _They're what everyone wants, isn't it? The heightened propensity to make people feel ecstasy just through their voices, hah. Mukuro's a pretty shining example – our advertisement."

"That pretty bastard's sworn revenge on all mankind."

"Yeah, when we look at it this way, nothing good has come of this," Reborn twirled his olden-day styled fedora around.

"We did get some warning off a book from an _obscure_ author centuries ago about doing these things," Iemitsu half laughed.

"So?"

"You're not killing her. I doubt you can bear to."

Reborn stopped his twirling – he was caught unawares; Iemitsu knew.

"Then boss, what shall we do? Hibari Kyouya will be approaching in approximately a minute's time."

"We'll need to increase the security around here. Tell them to hurry up with the anti-technology; it'll negate all of Millefiore's best tracking technologies. We can safely stow Tsuna away in another country after this – but not in Italy, no – the Millefiore is smart enough," Iemitsu said, standing up.

"I'll go prepare for my daughter's arrival."

* * *

"Have a good day at school!" Yamamoto Tsuyoshi waved at the two teenage boys, who were both in high school now. Hibari was a grade higher, a fact that Yamamoto regarded grudgingly; that made Hibari his senior, and subsequently a figure to respect. Well, Hibari was not going to get any of his respect, anyway.

The two led completely mutually exclusive lives outside of home – while Yamamoto was the popular, handsome and athletic boy in his year, Hibari was a stoic recluse who shunned any contact at all. The two were on opposite ends of the spectrum – they were bipolar, and thusly, if the both were forced into any situation together, they clashed.

While Yamamoto had been admired by countless girls, Hibari was feared. While Yamamoto was respected, Hibari was scorned. While Yamamoto bathed in love, Hibari drew hate. Where Yamamoto was perfect, Hibari was, for once in his life, flawed and broken.

The two only saw a temporary truce, but never came to a consensus on peace. It had been a few years since Hibari had moved in now, but the hatred never wore off. It was impossible, Yamamoto figured.

Yamamoto had decided that day that he would strum his guitar on the rooftop, enjoying the breeze as he played. It was a hobby which he picked up from the advice of an old friend. Gokudera was gone – he had been in Italy for so long and was denied contact with him; his mother and his other…

Yamamoto did not want to think anymore. He continued playing, until he heard the automated door slide open. There stood Hibari, the person he would last want to be trapped on the rooftop with. Yamamoto disregarded the other man, but Hibari glared at him.

"Get out," he said acerbically.

Tensions were running even higher now.

"Get out," Yamamoto mimicked. He was beyond the point of no return now, might as well put up a good fight. He set the guitar down and slipped his hands into his pockets, smiling.

Hibari on the other hand, was easily angered. He kept a pair of weapons on him all the time, just specially to draw the blood of his enemies. He charged towards Yamamoto, and as he approached, he swung his arm up with much force.

However, Yamamoto read his movements, having lived with Hibari for so long. He did a good job of dodging the painful tonfas until he was backed up against the fence. Hibari was about to give the finishing blow, but he stopped short just inches of hitting Yamamoto's chin. Yamamoto, who had his eyes shut tight in anticipation of pain, slowly opened his eyes to see Hibari withdrawing his tonfas.

This somewhat relieved him to the point that he started laughing. Hibari turned around, not wanting to show his face to Yamamoto.

"Alright, I'll leave," Yamamoto gathered all his items and let the other boy stand on the rooftop, alone.

* * *

**A/N: **No this chapter doesn't make any cow sense.

Also, I won't give prizes for guessing who that "obscure author" centuries back was - if you think about it long and hard I suppose you could try figure _her _out.

And thanks for the reviews! - I'll try get round to individually replying the more recent ones tomorrow.

Edit: Wow, loads of mistakes here.


	26. Chapter 24: Sing

**Chapter 24: I Used to Sing of Smiles and Happiness**

* * *

"…Reconstruct her bones…fully healed…Had to put her into an induced coma for two days."

Extracts of the conversation had flown into Tsuna's ear. However, she had only just risen to consciousness; her brain still could not process much of the information that was running from the mouths of the doctors to those fancy-people-in-suits that she probably did not know. Or maybe she could, but Tsuna was too hazy to tell who was there, what was happening and _how the hell she had ended up in a foreign place. _

Then she remembered the two spiteful women from her past. Mentally shuddering, she opened her eyes, only to have herself blinded again by the harsh white light that surrounded her.

"Oi, oi! She's awake!" Another unfamiliar voice piped in. It sounded a lot less grave than the rest and resounded with a cheerful bounce.

"Quiet, Dino! She's just risen."

This time, the voice sounded vaguely recognizable. Tsuna knew for sure she had met this man at least one, but she did not remember where. Forcing her eyes open, she looked around her – or at least as far as she could see from her position in bed. By her side was a buff blonde man in a black suit, standing with his back hunched and hands in his pocket.

Tsuna did know that man. She remembered him – was it from the party? She was pretty sure it was. Then again, memory was never her forte. The next person she saw was a complete stranger. The first thing she noted about him – he definitely was foreign. She could not guess much else about the man, having never set much foot outside of Japan. (However, globalization had made it impossible to pass a day without seeing another person of a different nationality, so being in Japan was probably as good as being anywhere else, Tsuna thought.) He was of above-average stature, maybe slightly shorter than Yamamoto was. He sported blonde hair, a few shades darker than the buff man who stood by her bed.

"Rise and shine, princess!" said he.

"Dino!"

Ah, so now Tsuna knew his name. "Dino" walked off to pour something – she could tell by the trickling sound of the water.

"Here, your throat must be yearning for some of this stuff," he offered, handing Tsuna a cup of warm water. It was then and there Tsuna took notice of the dry and itching feeling that ravaged her throat, so she snatched the water up eagerly and downed it in one sitting.

"Whoa, easy there," Dino said kindly, taking back the empty cup and setting it on the table.

"Thank you," Tsuna gasped. That was pretty terrible, she thought. She raised her right hand, but found absolutely no sign of damage there. Wriggling her fingers around a bit, she dropped it and sighed.

"It was in a pretty terrible shape when Kyouya brought you here, y'know. I've seen much worse, so you should really thank your lucky stars!"

Tsuna did not want to think what would have happened if Hibari did not step in. Her body might have been in mangled pieces, _at best. _Those grunts looked pretty awful, after all.

"Anyway, you should take a bit more of a rest, the effects of the anesthetic was pretty strong after all. There are some unwarranted side effects you might experience, but don't worry! They're just for a bit…"

Dino's voice trailed off as Tsuna started to realize as her eyelids grew heavier. Her world swirled around her.

_Oh boy. Side effects, how wonderful._

"Ah, there she goes," Dino said as Tsuna's head fell back into her soft pillow.

* * *

The next time Tsuna awoke, her surroundings were completely dark – pitch black. For a moment, she felt as though she was floating in emptiness. There was no window in the room, so not even the moonlight could soothe her confused mind.

"What happened?" she whispered to herself. Well, she was awake now – and breathing and living, so nothing exceptionally bad could have happened.

"Shh," a voice came from her side. Two hands pushed her back into the bed, pinning her body down.

"Good morning, midget," came the perpetrator's voice.

Predicting that Tsuna would send out a loud yelp of sorts, his hands clasped down on her mouth, preventing her from saying anything more. He dropped a cold and heavy trinket on her chest, then moved away to be seated in a chair close to her bed.

"Mukuro-san?" Tsuna whispered.

She could have sworn she almost saw his cat-like eyes glow menacingly, though for all she knew, it was probably just her imagination again. They looked mischievous and cunning, as though he was plotting some part of a great, disastrous plan.

Or it was just her imagination. _Again. _

Tsuna involuntarily drew herself back into the bed, flipping her head away from Mukuro. She then raised her now repaired hand to feel the object that he had put on her.

"What's this?" she breathed softly.

"You were looking at it in the market today, were you not?" Mukuro sighed nonchalantly. "You seemed rather enthralled by it, to the point you lost your peers… "

Sure enough, Tsuna ran her fingers along the contours of the delicate trinket. It was indeed in the shape of a heart, and she could also feel the engraved patterns that she had spotted on the object earlier on.

"I can't accept this, Mukuro-san!"

"Do me a favour by accepting it," he said.

"…"

"Moreover - …"

Shifting again. This time, Tsuna was stunned as she felt another knee come into contact with hers through the blanket, hands situated on either side of her cheeks – breaths inhaled and exhaled right by her neck. Mukuro was far too close for her comfort. Tsuna quickly raised her hands and tried to push Mukuro's shoulders away. She kicked her legs hard, desperate to inch away from him. In her violent movements, the ornament fell onto the ground, and a loud sound could be heard.

She felt a pair of fingers on her nape. In an instant, she stopped moving, shivering with fear; the room became still and silent.

_The room is pitch black – how does he know? The scar –_

"The scar here," Mukuro said. He no longer bothered to talk gently any more. Instead, his voice sounded deeper, harsher – more urgent, as though he were craving something and it would be imperative that he had to get it.

"It's just… something I got from the accident…"

"Oh, really now? And you're going to take that story and eat it because you can continue your perfect, carefree life unwrought by troubles no pettier than - …"

"You're wrong!" Tsuna screamed in an outburst. She did not know what overcame her, but for a moment she felt intense rage, and an inability to forgive Mukuro for misunderstanding her, for thinking her life was so easy.

And she knew for one, that those were emotions that she had never harbored before. Those emotions were not hers. _They weren't hers. They weren't hers. They weren't – _

"I-I'm so sorry! I really didn't mean to, I mean, I don't know what ha-happened - …"

A large thud could be heard by the door, followed by sounds of cracking.

"Someone's listening to us," Mukuro said. He drew away nimbly, and retreated to god-knows-where. Tsuna could not tell in the absolute darkness of the room, and Mukuro left no sounds of footsteps.

A flash of bright lights greeted her, assaulting her eyes that had yet to adjust to the new atmosphere. At the doorway stood Dino, a tinge of worry on his face.

"Oi, are you alright? Tsuna-san?"

"Tsuna? Tsu – "

He felt himself being flung backwards, next to the door that had just slid shut. Hitting the ground, he slipped across the smooth flooring, ending up in a lump by the wall. In his blurry vision, he saw a pair of legs walk up and tap a few buttons on the door, locking it tight.

"Who are you?" Dino questioned, his head (and behind) still throbbing from the impact.

"Tsuna," she replied.

There was something different about her – her brown eyes had grown brighter. Maybe they were even golden. They burned with sort of ferocity that he had never seen before.

"This…" Dino stood up, pulling out his weapon of choice – a simple black whip. He could not hurt Tsuna – or whatever _had _possessed Tsuna, but he could restrain her.

"Don't try," 'Tsuna' said as she jumped up, attempting to pounce on Dino. Dino flung his whip in her direction, but alas, Tsuna was too fast. She grabbed the whip and tugged it, her strength pulling Dino forward.

In the end, the pair landed on the ground, Tsuna seated right on top of Dino, being the one to restrain him instead.

"Who _are _you?"

"The abandoned," Tsuna said, placing her palm right below his throat.

"You are the perpetrator," she said in a conclusive tone, "I will have to eliminate you."

"Perpetrator? Wait – I heard shouting and a loud bang – "

'Tsuna' inched her face forward, to the extent that her nose almost touched Dino's. Her eyes narrowed as she looked into his, as though she was trying to make a certain kind of judgment about him.

"So? Who are you?"

"Natsusa."

"What have you done to Tsuna? Tell me exactly, who are you?" Dino urgently whispered to her through clenched teeth. He broke his hands free, intending to get a grasp on Natsusa's shoulders. He was no match for her – she quickly raised her own, taking his hands in hers. She possessed amazing strength, and Dino had found out the hard way when she pushed his hands down with ease, knocking his elbows against the hard floor.

"You could say I'm a self-defense mechanism," she said, her tone mocking and haughty, "probably more effective than your security. That Mukuro disabled all cameras within vicinity, and it's taking quite a bit of time for them to realize, no?"

"H-hey, I never got any data about - …"

"And what right have you to question my existence, Mr Dino?" her voice teetered with hints of anger now, and her ferocious golden eyes bore right into his own.

"Guh…" Dino struggled to break free of her grip, which continually tightened.

"It's because of you people. You are all the same! Trying to be Prometheus eh?" Natsusa's fringe covered her eyes as her body shook.

"You bastards. You bastards - you all took away my two lives! You took away meaning, every single time, clearing and resetting! Let me tell you this – I am no computer. I am no tool. I hope your greed consumes you; I hope it burns you – and your souls, if you have any left – I hope they all melt. I hope you suffer an eternity of shame! "

"What the fuck - …."

"You took away my two lives. Do not deny me my third," she finally ended. Her body ceased to shake, and Natsusa lifted her head. Through her fringe, Dino could see the eerie glint that she shot his way.

"Well then, Mr Dino. May I sing you a final song?"

* * *

Hibari walked along the dimly lit corridors, with absolutely no aim in particular.

_She was supposed to be dead._

Traditionally, dead people stayed dead – who the hell was Tsuna? Some devil sent from hell to torment him, quite possibly. Maybe to remind him of his guilt, his faults – the day _she _died. He had not even _seen _that – only her ashes, pitifully packed into little grey shelves because, _oh, _the world was running out of space – cemeteries had to be cleared to make way for developments.

"Shit," he muttered to himself. That day he swore he would detach himself from the world, but so far, he was not too successful at it. He blamed himself for his weaknesses, easily getting angry, easily frustrated – even when he smiled, he meant is sarcastically. Not even powerful challenges could quell his excitement for blood – a hobby that he had picked up in attempts to detach himself anyway.

Subconsciously, Hibari found his way to the entrance of Tsuna's ward. Just great, even his mind, in a state of confusion and frenzy, could lead him to a perfect spot. That was when he heard a loud clacking sound of something falling to the ground.

"…Scar…"

He heard it – the bastard's voice. Was Rokudo Mukuro not satisfied until he hounded anyone that he liked, to the point that he drove others to insanity? Hibari leaned against the wall of the narrow corridor, eavesdropping on the conversation, even though he did not want to admit that he was doing such a thing.

It was when Hibari heard Tsuna's quivering voice that he acted up – she sounded so alike to that person of the past. A few of his hairs stood on its ends, and he drew a tonfa quickly. He did not want to directly interfere with Mukuro for now – he did not want to admit that he was protecting her.

"Damn it!" he whispered, driving the tonfa into the wall. It created a loud enough sound – someone would come soon, probably Dino or that other Sawada. Quickly, Hibari retreated as soon as he heard frantic footsteps echo through the narrow pathway.

_Damn it._

* * *

**A/N:** Sigh.

I'm falling deeper into plot(holes). Probably. _  
_


	27. Chapter 25: And None Will Mourn

**Chapter 25: And None Will Mourn**

* * *

_****___"Ladies and gentlemen," spoke a vivacious and loud man through a voice amplifier. He spread his arms, as though he were about to give a huge welcoming hug. He twirled his walking stick around, fashioned to the style of the 17th century, and slammed it hard on the ground.

"Welcome," he boomed, "to Vongola's General Annual Meeting! I am Michael Manns –"

As he said that, the words "Michael Manns" projected before him in large, bold capital letters.

"Today, we are honored to have with us, the current president of the Vongola – Timoteo!"

A round of applause.

"The second-in-command – Iemitsu Sawada!"

Another round of applause.

"And of course, the previous president – Daniela," he put his arm out in the direction of a seemingly young looking lady. She had sharp and fierce eyes that burned with fire; two scars marred her face, giving her a more imposing look than ever. The strong lady boss – one could easily be deceived by her violent beauty; while she looked no older than thirty, she was Timoteo's mother.

Of course, technology had allowed her to preserve her age, and possessing endless wealth from her time as a boss, she took that choice. Her son however, had taken aging with much pride, opting not to use his money on such procedures. While she was maybe a hundred years old by then, her son was seventy. The average lifespan amongst the rich in the world was one hundred and seventy five.

General Meetings were usually held amongst the top personnel in the Vongola, discussing company matters – like pushing products, developments and ideas. Normally, despite having only about twenty people present in the meeting, it was held with great fanfare, such that an entire ballroom would be booked and extravagantly decorated, complete with a stage and entertainment for the first two hours of the meeting. Then, their best chefs (while robot chefs existed, the best food still came from the hands of human chefs) served them the sweetest cakes and tea as they sat in a table - far too large - to discuss issues pertaining to the company.

"I would like to say a few words," Timoteo coughed.

"Firstly, on the success of the debut of our latest project – the Vongola Guardian project."

Everyone clapped.

"Research has been ongoing now for thirty years, and development has been astounding. I would like to thank everyone, from our board of directors to our scientists. Of course, we have a long way to go. The young 'band' has been on a break for a month or so now, so that we could wrap things up, especially certain important contracts.

It is time for them to step out again, perhaps internationally, so that we can display our products," he smiled.

"Of course – they aren't for sale yet, until we can stabilize the technology in our products. Our product himself isn't quite stable."

There was silence, then murmuring.

"The advent of this new technology will bring joy to the people. We have nothing but the best intentions," and then, Timoteo was interrupted. This time, Daniela spoke up.

"Perhaps I'd like to say a few words, Timoteo.

Fifty years ago, Chicago was wiped off by nuclear warfare – there is nothing of it left except the radioactive glow that covers it at night, the greeting of the sun when dawn comes, and the ash filled lands – of dead men, women, children and animals – rubble, for miles on end. Fifty years later, it was decided that the land is still uninhabitable. Not even the best of man could save it – …

A waste of resources, don't you think?" she paused to take a sip out of her teacup, and then continued.

"And we will forever continue to waste these resources in conflict. But look what 50 years of knowledge has given us. Now, amidst our – the Vongola's development, we've come across an amazing discovery – the emotion-sound technology. This has given birth to the modern bards," she smiled, with a somewhat manic glint in her eye.

"What are you hinting at, Daniela?" Iemitsu looked in her direction.

"– The Leucosia, named after the sirens in our lost records of greek mythology. Of course, we masked the project under the name of Project Asyriel – the name of our research facility.

And don't you think their wonderful powers can be used for more, my dear Timoteo? Say – if they have the power to please through their voice so easily, then it would be reasonable to assume it's as easy to give them the power to control…manipulate, and maybe destroy, but mostly manipulate. Especially for a company of our caliber. After all, the only two companies to know the trade secret of the ES technology would be the Vongola and the Estraneo – of which the latter was wiped off years ago.

Think of it, we could have absolute monopoly over something more than just the market," she said. There were discussions taking place amongst the board of directors. Some shook their heads, some looked undecided, and maybe one or two agreed.

"Daniela, perhaps you have forgotten that our company's policies have changed since Timoteo took the helm," Iemitsu said, holding a certain level of threat in his voice.

"Don't speak too soon. Look, Sawada. The Vongola's so powerful, we even have the government in our hands," she picked up a small handkerchief and wiped a grin off her mouth.

"Daniela, we did that – years ago. It failed. The experiment failed. It started with death…and then a life of an innocent child," said Timoteo gravely.

"And who's to say it won't fail now? This power, Timoteo. It is overwhelming. We don't need to use something as ridiculous and as conspicuous as _bombs _to achieve our goals – not through a million deaths, no? It is a win-win situation. What is a child's life, or two, worth to us?"

"I refuse," Iemitsu said resolutely. Daniela scowled.

"Not too soon, dear," she said.

In the background, Michael Manns had positioned himself underneath a table. He made sure to keep complete stealth, while recording all the information in his mind. It would be useful to sell to the Vongola's competitors later on.

"It is time we wrap up this meeting," Daniela stood up. Iemitsu was about to protest, but she whipped out a gun, aiming it at one of the table's feet. She then pulled the trigger, and all that could be heard in the room for that moment was a man's pained cry.

Underneath the table, Michael Mann's body fell to the ground, convulsed for 3 seconds, and then went absolutely still.

* * *

Tsuna was rushed around the mansion, doing her jobs as usual. Nothing extraordinary had happened since that day Mukuro visited her, though there was a blank patch in her memory that she could not retrieve. What happened then?

She tried not to let it bother her, carrying out her usual duties. Nothing out of the normal – I-Pin popped up at the mansion to do work more often, but Bluebell was absent more frequently. Haru was the usual – lively and upbeat.

In two weeks, Tsuna had built a strong rapport with Yamamoto and Gokudera – well, she finally had the guts to leave off "-san", a polite honorific, after much persuasion from Yamamoto. Within that time frame, she had also made acquaintances with Hibari, who coincidentally lived in the same apartment block with her. Occasionally she would meet Hibari in the elevator or the lobby, and grudgingly, Hibari would allow her to commute to work with him.

"There, there," she cooed. Natsu the lion cub was nestled in her lap, mewing occasionally. He had grown a lot bigger now, and looked quite healthy. Kojirou perched itself on her shoulder, while Jirou settled himself on the other side. Uri was, to his owner's virtue, a rather grumpy cat, so he remained on his own.

"Yo!" a voice piped up from behind her.

"Yamamoto, what brings you here?" Tsuna looked behind to see the cheerful man propped up against the door frame.

"There's an assignment for you, as our personal maid," he said.

Jirou and Natsu scampered off as Tsuna got up, while Kojirou fluttered up to Yamamoto's head.

"An assignment? I thought the only thing I had to do was – "

"To clean our rooms? Yeah, exactly!" Yamamoto laughed.

"The band is expanding overseas, so we'll be headed out for a month, it seems. You can't exactly clean our rooms here if we're not around right? We can't have you slacking off, so you're coming with us!"

"Ehhhh! Where to?"

"The country of Vongola's establishment – Italy! I guess the boss decided that we'd build a stronger reputation there first, seeing as the Vongola is really established there."

"Hmm, I see – but I don't have a passport?"

"It'll all be provided for. Right, I'll have to go then. The band has to show up at a public event later," he said, waving his hand off.

"Wait! When are we going?"

"Thursday! See ya!"

"That's too soon!" Tsuna shouted after Yamamoto, who had already walked several paces away. He only returned with a loud guffaw.

_If only you knew the trip's true motives. _

* * *

"All your clothes! Check! Shoes, check! This and that, this and that…" Haru said, rummaging through Tsuna's luggage.

"Ah…Haru, you're acting more like my mother now," Tsuna gave an awkward grin in her direction.

"Nonsense! Alright, all check. It should last you more than one month!"

"Not with three huge luggages! I can't go there like this!" Tsuna protested, much to Haru's annoyance.

"We'll make it two and a half?"

"That makes no sense!"

Finally, Haru conceded and helped Tsuna to pack everything into one case. When they were done, the both of them sprawled back onto the floor, tired.

"Italy, eh. It's been a long time since I've been there," Haru said, pondering.

"You've been there, Miss Miura?"

"I've studied there, my dear naïve Tsuna-kun," she smiled.

"Ehhhhhh! I never knew that. What is it like there?"

"Pleasant, I guess? Not much difference. You know, I studied with Gokudera over there."

Tsuna shot up.

"You knew Gokudera, Miss Miura? That's amazing! I never hear you talking about him though."

Haru flipped her head over and blushed, though Tsuna could not see it.

"Ah, yeah," she trailed off, before jumping up again.

"Ha-hi! It's already nine, Tsuna! We'll have you at the airport now!"

"B-but, nine's early! Can't we go – "

"No can do! I want to have some of the airport's famous cakes. Besides, it'll be my last time with you in a month," Haru said willfully. Tsuna bit her lips.

"Alright, if you say so," Tsuna folded her arms. Even though Tsuna could not see the blush from Haru just now, her hypersensitivity allowed her to know better.

* * *

After attacking a café, both Haru and Tsuna made their way down to the private departures area. They were met by Sasagawa, his young sister, Yamamoto, Gokudera, Lambo, Mukuro and lastly Hibari, who had taken up a corner by himself. Dino stood behind the group with his right hand man, Romario, smiling.

"Tsuna's here!"

Tsuna gave a timid wave at everyone, especially Kyoko, who made her want to shy away in a corner. Kyoko however, was giving furtive glances towards Hibari's direction. No one noticed, but Tsuna knew when Kyoko suddenly jerked up and raised her hand to greet Tsuna.

After a few tearful goodbyes (mostly, it was Haru), the group set off on a private plane to Rome, Italy. The ride would only take six hours from Namimori.

The plane ride was mostly uneventful – there was a part where Lambo was trying to make his move on a particularly pretty and effeminate stewardess, and Gokudera burst out into another one of his one-sided arguments with Yamamoto, which ended with Hibari's tonfas in both their hairs. Mukuro was unfortunately seated next to Tsuna, who, after the incident became nervous and had to constantly edge away from him during the plane ride. That did not stop the sly man from trying to annoy her further.

"And we're here!" Dino loudly announced.

The first thing Tsuna noticed was the several degrees drop in temperature. It was a _lot _colder there than in Japan. Well, that was about as much difference as she could notice. There was no lack of the same dull grey sky around them, though the surrounding area seemed pretty tranquil, for the capital of a country.

"Okay, we'll just head to our residence after we check out," Dino said.

As the group walked out, Tsuna turned her head towards the man.

"Why are you here with us today, Mr Cavallone?"

"I told you, just call me Dino! And also, even though I have matters to settle with my own company," Tsuna saw the ton of exasperation that was weaved into his voice, "Sawada Iemitsu said that it was imperative for me to overlook this. Well, I guess he did over to take over the reins for a while, and I trust him since the Vongola and Cavallone corporations are closely linked."

"Oh, so you're a boss, Dino?"

"Yep! I don't do stuff like sit in the office all day though. There was a point of time Kyou-chan was my student in training," Dino chuckled.

"Kyou-chan?" Oh, so Tsuna realized. Hibari's full name was Hibari Kyouya. Still, she was surprised that Hibari would have allowed anyone to address him so affectionately at all.

Their conversation was cut short when Yamamoto pulled Tsuna from her position beside Dino. He made her walk in between Gokudera and himself, and they continued to have a somewhat exciting conversation all the way up to the residential area, as Tsuna would have known soon to be a hotel that was owned by the company. And entire floor had been booked for them, so they were given utmost privacy and hospitality.

The residence was split up as such – there were eight rooms, and a central living room with a huge kitchen by the side. Tsuna noted that it was just nothing more than an enlarged apartment.

"Right, so I'll be working here for 1 month. Doesn't seem too bad," she muttered under her breath.

The group immediately called their rooms – Hibari, Sasagawa, Lambo and Mukuro got their own rooms. Yamamoto would not have it any other way than to bunk with Gokudera, and Dino got another room. Romario was ordered to stay one floor below, for reasons Tsuna could not comprehend. Still, she got quite an excellent room to live in – by her standards – it was the most posh she had ever seen. She wondered if it were legal for a mere maid to live under such extravagant conditions. Or perhaps the Vongola was trying to make up for the fact that she had to put up with seven men for one month.

Dino called them out to explain their itinerary – the first and second day would be for rest and relaxation, but work started from the third day onwards. Tsuna would be in charge of the upkeep of the rooms, for the sake of privacy, Vongola made sure that none of the hotel staff would be able to enter. Of course, Tsuna was entitled to days of rest whenever the Guardians were, but Tsuna seriously doubted that she would get any, anyway.

* * *

_(Flashback)_

"Dino! Sawada! What happened?"

A flustered Sawada Iemitsu came rushing in. The sight that greeted him was quite contrary to the mercilessly dented wall on the outside. Tsuna and Dino seemed to be having a normal conversation, with Tsuna propped up in bed and Dino seated by her side, and nothing extra in the sterile, plain ward. An ordinary scene. They both seemed shocked by Iemitsu's agitation, eyes wide apart and mouths unconsciously left gaping.

"Is anything the matter, Sawada-san?" Dino broke the silence when Iemitsu had spent far too long trying to absorb the scene before him.

"Miss Sawada here just awakened, so I decided to give her a breakdown on…"

"Oh, it's uh – nothing," Sawada heaved, and he walked back out a lot calmer. When the pair was sure that his presence had absolutely departed, "Tsuna" turned back and cupped Dino's chin in her palms. She gave him a knowing smirk.

"And you, Mr Dino," she purred, "shall remain subservient to me, Natsusa."

Dino's head was slumped downward, and he only expressed himself in a small nod. His eyes were blank – looking into nowhere, and eerily, his mouth was curved up into a trace of a tiny grin.

"Your first order. Do not, under any circumstance…reveal information…about…me," Natsusa faltered towards the end of her sentence, and finally Tsuna's body collapsed forward into Dino's arms. She was unconscious. Then Dino, as if having been broken from a spell, blinked once, and twice – and he had no idea what had happened. Still, Natsusa's order resonated within him, and he could find no will to disobey any of it.

Dino peered down to see the girl, breathing gently, in his arms.

_She is far too peaceful._

And that was his final thought.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry for the update...length...thing. I was having my exams, then I got kinda lazy/busy for the past three weeks or so.

Also, if it is unclear, the flashback is linked to the previous chapter.


	28. Chapter 26: Child of the Sky

**Chapter 26: Child of the Sky**

* * *

"Good morning," sang a voice, several pitches higher than its original tone.

"Morni..ng…hnngh," Tsuna dug her face further into her pillow, then lazily flipped over. Her arms felt around for her phone before she gave a vocal command.

"Time check," she muttered, voice scratchy and throat dry.

"I apologise, I cannot do a _dime Czech_," said the same voice again.

"Huh," something caught on to her. Reaching behind, she felt something warm and smooth. She moved her hands upwards, and found them shuffling through tangled strands of hair.

"What the fu-…" Tsuna shot up immediately, turning towards the figure. But it was too dark to make out its details, only its form – but that was enough for her to recognize him.

"Good morning!"

She immediately kicked the figure, and her phone fell out of his hands.

"Mu…Mukuro-san!"

Tsuna scrambled to pick her phone back up.

"Time check!" she said desperately, shaking the device.

"It is four A.M. It is four A.M," chanted back a mechanical voice. _Too early. _

She glared at the figure who had now made his way to lean against her door.

"Is there any service that requires my urgent attention, sleeping in my bed or otherwise?" she said through gritted teeth. While normally polite to her superiors, she did have another temperament when it came to someone doing something like _trespass into her private territory and invade the threshold of impolite and inappropriate social behavior. _

"Don't know, I was bored. Figured I'd wake you early. There's this time difference thing you see, and I can't really sleep," he coughed.

Tsuna sighed, resigned.

"Please give me some time to get ready. I'll prepare breakfast for you," she said, climbing out of her bed.

When all that had been done, she finally found herself in the kitchen preparing omelets and toast for the needy man. She sloppily placed it in front of him - fork and knife and spoon clanked in harmony as she dumped them beside the plate. Quite noticeably peeved about the previous fiasco, Mukuro noted in glee.

"Anything else?" she asked as politely as she could.

"Human company! What else," he chuckled, "I need you to carry my bags later. I'm going shopping for some items."

Thus the remainder of the time was spent, Mukuro merrily observing Tsuna's other side. Well, it was only human to get angry at that after all. He chuckled to himself, earning puzzled looks from the naïve girl seated opposite him.

"Nothing, I'm just closer to my plan's completion," he smiled.

"Plan? You aren't planning to assault another woman are you?"

"Oh no, trust me when I say I only gain an edge when I assault you."

"Please don't say that so casually."

He let out a strong guffaw.

"It's the truth."

Tsuna started to ignore him after that.

* * *

"Please…please slow down, Mukuro-san," Tsuna panted, releasing bursts of white smog each time she said a word.

"Tut, tut," he said. Tsuna could not see his eyes beyond the sunglasses – they were meant for deception. Of the general crowd, that was. She could feel his emotions though – a tattle-tale dance of playfulness, a pinch of annoyance…

"What are you getting?" she said, quickly shoving her hands back into her jacket's pockets as soon as she was walking again.

"Don't know," he shrugged casually, peeking around here and there. Robots manned the counter of every shop at that time of the day – but it was necessary that the human owners came back for at least six hours later in the day in order to keep the business running. The streets were sparse, being six o' clock. Also, it was a rather high-end place with a lot of boutiques around – not somewhere that an average person would hang around at that time.

"I'm bored," he finally said.

Tsuna wanted to slap her face, but resisted the urge to do so.

"Aren't you from this place?" Mukuro stopped in his footsteps. She could feel something grow heavy within her as soon as she shot off her question. He turned back however, lips – as she could see, were straining – to a wry smile.

"I came from the sky," he said, as he walked.

Tsuna snorted. The only land she knew of in a sky was an industrial area. A research facility.

"Really, and then you're going to tell me they poured in a bunch of chemicals and created the perfect little boy who grew up to be a sarcastic demon?" she added.

"I don't know who's being sarcastic more often – you or me?"

Tsuna looked to the ground. Honestly, she could not answer. Perhaps it was just Mukuro, but being around him made her want to shoot off many snide remarks. Contagious, she noted. Dangerous.

She glanced back up, in any direction but Mukuro's face.

"I'm not as scary as you make me out to be," he said, slowing his gait so that he could walk beside the shorter girl.

"You haven't called me midget all day."

"Right you are, midget," and then she felt a large palm shuffle her hair around, just as Yamamoto often did.

"Yamamoto treats you like Jirou, hm? You seem to enjoy this a lot."

"P-Please stop that."

The pair had walked a lot further than they realized, and soon found themselves in the designated green space of the city. It was compulsory for every city to have a minimal area in proportion to its size dedicated to greenery. Bullshit, Tsuna called. You had a green space, but you never had blue skies again.

"I bet I'm seriously from the sky, though. Cursed on the very day I was born."

"Now that sounds like the start of a fantasy story. But…" Tsuna remembered the initial awkwardness when Yamamoto had willingly divulged his past to her.

"Let's see, where should I start?" Mukuro pondered, completely ignoring what she had said earlier, "I was an orphan – that was the earliest thing I remembered."

Tsuna nodded. Now she was genuinely interested in hearing. The pair had made themselves comfortable in a park bench, thankfully, Mukuro had decided to keep out of her personal space, so they sat at an appropriate distance from one another.

"I…had a cousin too. She was orphaned with me. Both of us probably had shitty parents – I just had two pairs of them. Birth parents left me to my aunt and uncle, but they sold the both of us away – to the government. To the research facilities."

Tsuna could feel a burning rage work its way into his movements. He shook a little, eyebrows furrowed. A few creases had formed on his face –

"Wait, the government? How could they permit that?"

"The government is scum," he leaned back, "scum. Look at this country. Look at Japan. Look all over the world. We all look the same, no? Same companies, same products, same standards all over the world. It's all homogenous. The government is a corporation. If it were for profit – why, bending the rules would be okay for those corrupt bastards."

"You sound like you're making a conspiracy – implying every country has the same government," Tsuna, by then was incredulous. Mukuro only raised a brow.

"Maybe they do. Maybe they don't. Maybe the governments just change over time. They performed experiments on me. Branded me – iron and fire and all – just like a farm animal. _Just a farm animal._

Somehow, Chrome – that's my cousin – she and I escaped the facility. We were taken in by a kind man named Lancia. There were other children – Ken and Chikusa, ah, I can still remember their features clearly. Ken – treated like an animal, acted like an animal. Chikusa, always with a blank, listless eyes. They broke us."

By that time, Tsuna felt as though she should not be listening, but she heard every word like a colorful note, twisting in different emotions, pitches, accents. He continued.

"Lancia was killed. They were bent on making my life hell, you see. Maybe I was too valuable to let go. Lancia was the only one who ever took pity on us – he was rather wealthy, and it was a short and happy four years we lived. Shot, instantly, and everything was taken away again.

I was taken in by a different _corporation, _well – that was when Chrome started going ill. Thanks to all those experiments. Fucked up her brain. Don't worry – she stays alive. But she's probably as good as dead now," he said, standing up, "still in a coma."

Tsuna had been so enraptured by his story that she had not noticed her surroundings.

"I'm sorry, Mukuro – " suddenly, she was grabbed by a pair of thin arms. She saw a flash of blue before her eyes were covered.

"Thanks a lot, Rokudo," snickered a familiar voice.

"I failed to mention this, Midget. I could escape that facility because I killed everyone,"

Tsuna, struggling to get out of the bonds that had been placed on her, went into shock.

"Huh?"

"I hate corporations you know, with a passion. They've tossed me around – blackmailed me for the cure to my cousin's disease. Heh, disease – that makes me laugh. _Virus._"

Tsuna could feel herself get dragged off further and further. Bluebell – that was the voice she recognized. Her heart sank, and a giant lump swelled in her throat.

"Bluebell? Is that you? Why are you doing this? What are you doing here? Let me go!" Tears escaped her eyes, but she was not willing to show weakness in her voice as she demanded an explanation. Her voice cracked.

"Let me go! Bluebell! Mukuro, help me! Help me out here –"

"But that's alright. I found another organization that's willing to help me, you know. Bring out your latent potential. The same one you share with me. That'll help me get Chrome awake again."

As she heard his voice fade further, her head started ringing. One tone, sharp enough to bring her to her knees. Tsuna desperately screamed, tried to shake her hands out of her shackles, tried flailing her legs, but she was being taken away, further and further. The screams weren't desperate any longer – they were desolate. Broken cries.

"And I know what's weakest to you. _Betrayal," _Mukuro laughed, his voice resounding through the empty park.

Tsuna's eyes widened.

_Tap, tap, tap._

There were no more frantic cries or despair.

_Tap, tap, tap. _

"I didn't need to make her fall for me at all, Byakuran."

The white haired man approached Mukuro from behind, watching as Bluebell dragged the body – no longer struggling – away.

"I guess you got it figured pretty well. Good for you."

"You were trying a pretty roundabout way of doing things you know; I guess you gain a little bit of her trust and betray her – that's enough. As soon as her body experiences emotional stress, she seems to covert – or rather, revert. Natsusa is her original form after all."

"She's weak, but her alter ego – no, her alter ego is weak. It is her true form that I want data from."

"And my reward?"

Byakuran placed a small chip into Mukuro's palm, and then stalked off.

"Tell me when you wish to administer the cure."

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry, things turn from here.


	29. Chapter 27: A Game of Power

**Chapter 27: A Game of Power**

* * *

The room was of a false luxury.

The warm comforters, the soft mattress, and the hum of orchestral music piping through the speakers – these were all a lie. Golden eyes looked up – the ceiling was bland and lifeless, unlike everything else on eye-level. Perhaps Byakuran only ever considered details that were within his line of sight when he ordered for this room – no, _prison – _to be constructed.

"Ah," Natsusa let out a small breath. How many days had it been? She did not know – 3 weeks or 3 months? She ran her hand down the frills of her skirt, and then let it rest beside her head once more. She licked her dry lips, bringing her other hand up.

An ugly wound ran down the entirety of her left lower arm; it was only that dull pain that throbbed through her arm that reminded her of her mortality.

It had to be a considerable period of time she's spent in this room. The more time she spent, the more hope was robbed of her. Deep inside her, Tsuna lay asleep; desperate to save her last, third and most innocent life, she forcefully tucked her alter ego away in the deep recesses of her heart.

_Footsteps._

"Byakuran," she gritted her teeth. Yet, unlike the first time she came awake in this room, meeting him, she barely made an attempt to move.

"Ahh, Byakuran," her golden eyes narrowed and her lips curled into a deep, sardonic smile.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," Byakuran set himself down on the bed, next to her resting body.

"And what might entertain you today? A hug, a kiss, or a deep embrace?" Natsusa's hand slipped up the frills of her dress, exposing a white thigh.

"Flashing your skin this early in the morning? How strange of you Natsusa. I always thought you were the kind who would rebel. Succumbing to fate was never your calling, yes?" Byakuran licked his lips, climbing over her. His long fringe fell across his face, shadowing his malevolent, mocking glare.

"So, which of the three will it – " Natsusa began, but was cut off.

"Tut, so, what shall it be today?" Byakuran placed finger on his lip.

"Tch," she snarled. He had not forgotten any precautions. Yet again today, he could not hear her voice – the voice that was capable of enrapturing her opponents. Once more, this visit would be a useless endeavor to escape the lab. But Natsusa had given up on waiting.

"I'm running out of patience," she said slowly.

The air rumbled.

And then –

Natsusa lunged upwards and pushed Byakuran back. A powerful gale followed her action, knocking a delicate glass vase from its table.

"Oh! This is fun. So you picked violence today? That's rare," he was now manic, and his mouth let go of a loud guffaw.

"Entertain me, entertain me more!" he clapped as he tumbled back.

"Don't you dare mock me!" Natsusa growled again, and then launched herself at him. Her fingers were stretched out like claws, ready to grab flesh and rip them apart. There was so much hatred that clouded her mind; it was hard to think straight when one's vision was shaking from anger. Her throat let out a feral snarl. Soon – soon, Byakuran's flesh would be torn apart by these very hands.

"Hmm, interesting, but not today," her captor handled her attack with ease, welcoming her lunge as a cool embrace. To frustrate her even further, he even began to pat her unkempt hair.

"There, there, my dear pet. Today will be a series of experiments. I'm afraid I can't have you awake for a moment longer," he purred, insincerely trying to pacify the small, wild beast. Natsusa's eyes widened as she felt a sharp tip penetrate the back of her neck. Soon, any of her remaining energy drained from her.

The wild beast was sedated.

* * *

"How could Tsuna have gone like that?" Iemitsu roared.

At the table, every man responsible for her safety looked down.

"I believe we were off our guard," Yamamoto muttered under his breath.

"Damn well you all were! This – this is incompetent!"

"You might as well say everyone here – including you, Iemitsu – is incompetent," Reborn spoke loudly; "after all, none of us could ever come to the conclusion that Mukuro would betray us."

"Wrong, it is most appropriate to assume that Mukuro would betray us, given the circumstances upon which he joined Vongola," Iemitsu growled slowly.

"I was foolish in giving him the benefit of the doubt," Reborn muttered. He lowered his fedora, but simply to hide his amused eyes.

"Now all that's left is to get her back, isn't it?" Gokudera grumbled.

"Please contain your excitement, Gokudera, but it would be foolish to march into the enemy's base without a plan in sight," Reborn lifted his head, sending a mocking glance over to the silver-haired fool.

"The only plan I approve of is biting those people to death," Hibari growled. He did not have the patience to sit still, have tea and discuss plans while the person they were tasked to protect could very well be dead by then.

"Halt, Hibari. Tsuna won't be killed. She _can't_ be killed. We still have the luxury of time, but only for this moment," Reborn piped in again.

"After all, she's holding far too valuable of a key for Byakuran in her body – "

A loud bang resounded through the room, followed by cracking glass.

"Don't you dare suggest – "

"I daresay she'd be doing us a favour if she killed herself. At this point, I suspect the best way to provoke Byakuran is really, to kill Tsuna," Reborn tipped his hat, and then gave a playful glance towards Iemitsu. He was now seething with rage, as deep crimson spread from his cheeks to his ears.

"Ooi! Let's just get a plan out first, then talk about killing Tsuna later!" Sasagawa barked.

"Shut up, dingo brain. Do you even know what you're suggesting…" Lambo's voice trailed off as he twirled his horn accessory in his fingers.

"Well, as it is, it's already three days since her disappearance. Not a clue on Rokudo Mukuro. And – "

Reborn held a shining silver pill between his index and his thumb.

"It's a bit soon, but the anti-technology is crafted,"

"How did you get it out so soon?" Iemitsu stared at the pill in disbelief.

"There was already a few in the making when we requested for it," Reborn replied flatly, "I guess it came at a very bad timing."

"Hold on," Gokudera interrupted, "You said Tsuna holds a key in her body."

His eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"What are you hiding from us?"

"Ah-ha."

A final, bemused snort escaped Reborn, before he leaned back into his chair again.

* * *

Natsusa awoke again in that room of false luxury.

Her body – no – her _mind _felt violated. At that point, Natsusa was so revolted that she could barely move. She _knew. _She inherently knew the things they were doing with her body – no – her _mind, _when she was asleep. There were roots that entrenched themselves in her mind, crawling along it invasively, and like a leech, trying to suck information out of it. Natsusa was never passive, so she rebelled. And that rebellion caused her pain. Those roots undermined her mental fortitude with every passing second, crumbling her emotional barriers. Soon, they would reach Tsuna –

"No!" she growled in pain again.

They _can't. They can't. _

"Ah…Ahhh," she moaned in agony, clenching the bed spread below her. The roots were ever so pervasive, but every time she tried to block them from exploring her head any further, she thought she would go mad from the pain.

"Geh!" Natsusa broke out in cold sweat. Her eyes were pinched shut – she could not afford the distractions of visions entering her head. She groped the sides of her bed desperately, rolling around in pain, until she fell to the floor.

A sharp sting registered in her knee, and she felt the roots pry her mind apart even further as she got distracted.

Natsusa was driven by madness.

She opened an eye slowly. As she did, she saw that a small glass piece had lodged itself in her knee, and now red blood gushed from it. She bit her lips, and then removed the glass with a swift pull. Byakuran had not bothered to clean up the mess she made earlier.

Then an idea struck her.

"Ahh, Byakuran!" she laughed bitterly. The mania had surely taken over her mind. "Byakuran, Byakuran, Byakuran! Bya - …"

"Have you missed me in the time we spent apart?" A deep voice penetrated the air. Natsusa lifted her head to see Byakuran leaning against the wall, eyes laughing.

"Oh, how I've missed you – "she sang, picking up the biggest glass piece she could find.

"Uh, you know, if you're planning to murder me with that – "

"Haha! But who said I ever wanted to murder you?" Natsusa was still sprawled over the floor, fresh blood emerging from her sullied knee.

Byakuran lost his composure when he saw her next action – she pressed the sharpest end of the broken glass against her neck threateningly.

"Don't _you…"_

"I know!" she laughed, "You _need _me. But I don't _need _you. My own death will grant me revenge far greater than killing you would! Because you need me! That's what you get for breaking me!"

Byakuran's face contorted into a mixture of anger and fear. If she killed herself now, then everything he worked for – the Millefiore – would go down the drain. He could not hear Natsusa's mad words, but he could tell from her body language. She had it all figured out – she knew that she held the key that he required. And now she was dangling this key right over a cliff.

Desperate, Byakuran uttered pleadingly, "D-don't kill yourself. You want those… those things removed? Tell me, I'll remove them…"

Natsusa's eyes again lit up in glee. Using her free hand, she pointed to her ear.

"Yes…I want those things of yours removed… both of them," she grinned.

Byakuran could read her lips. He knew that he would expose himself to danger if he played into her game – he knew exactly what sort of destructive power she _could _possess through her voice. However, the choice was between letting her escape and losing her forever. He would rather search for a needle in a haystack, than to find out that the needle was destroyed. After all, he outwitted the Vongola once, he could do it twice.

Natsusa smiled sweetly again when she saw that he was removing the sound limiters in his ears – his shield against her vocal powers.

Ah, he had played into her trap. Now, it was time to retaliate.

* * *

**A/N: **It gets confusing here. Especially for me. Because I haven't touched this fic in 13 months. I offer not justifications for really abandoning this fic, but really? I just dropped my interest in KHR mid-Shimon arc. However, this is thankfully an AU, so while I am not particularly acquainted with the canon universe, at least I can have things go my way. So uh, major thing here - I won't be introducing _any _new characters that came in after the Shimon arc (while I did finish the story all the way up till the..family battle royale arc thing, I can't be bothered to memorise the names of those bandaged frog looking what-men new characters that sensei introduced). And next, I apologise for any discrepancy in character values because of my long absence from this franchise in general. I will still wiki the story and read a few chapters to get a general grasp of the characters still, but note that from this point on...

Anything can happen, and that includes _to the main characters - plot-wise. _That's where I'm drawing the line between canon and AU.

Well then, thanks for the reviews and cheers!


	30. Chapter 28: Songs of the Sirens

**Chapter 28: Songs of the Sirens**

* * *

"In the end, your plan didn't work," Reborn snorted, leaning against a marble pillar.

The esteemed Sawada Iemitsu narrowed his eyes.

"I didn't want to bring her to Italy, didn't I say that before? You insisted," Iemitsu growled, none too welcomingly. Reborn snorted in return.

"Well, there was always this saying that refuge is best sought closest to danger. They'd never expect to find you right next to where they are. Then Mukuro came wearing a brilliant pink tutu and pranced in, didn't he?"

"…"

"Ah, but at least I know she's safe…"

"And that's all you're concerned about? If Byakuran really cracks the code behind Tsuna, it might be the end of free will as we know it. Are you unconcerned about that?"

"The first and only beta-brand Leucosian– "

" – She was an experimental failure, right from the start, wasn't she?"

Iemitsu peered up at Reborn.

"That's because I made her a failed experiment."

* * *

Natsusa panted as she ducked into a tight corridor. There was no other escape strategy to be used at that moment, so she tied Byakuran up while forcing him into a deep coma with her voice. While she would have ordered him to guide her around the center, she knew the man would have tricks up his sleeves. He would not be so easy to maneuver, so she saved herself the trouble by leaving him behind. However, she was now faced with the issue of escaping the research center unscathed. There were guards roaming the place, and she knew – because there were eyes everywhere.

Exhausted. Natsusa was exhausted. She had used too much of her power deceiving the guards sent after her, and finally found a resting place where she was sure none of the electrical eyes would reach her, especially as she blended herself into the surroundings.

She was already at her limit.

Any more time spent delaying was a second less Byakuran would lay asleep. Unfortunately, being in a coma for a long time, Natsusa was unable to grasp the full extent of her original powers, limiting her severely in both the amount of manipulative powers and the stamina that she had. Faced with no choice, she decided to inch along further into the narrow walkway, hoping that it would lead her somewhere.

Indeed, it did lead her somewhere – a thick, metal door. Natsusa took a chance, and to her surprise, the door was left unlocked – atypical of a tight and well protected research facility such as this one.

"Guh…!"

The roots that bound her mind did not help either. They seemed to be severely handicapping her movements now, but the pain had subsided ever since she stopped resisting them. As long as Byakuran did not have his hands on her, he would not be able to extract the information from her mind that the roots gathered.

The room contained no lights and no sound, but was illuminated by a dim glow at its heart. Its ceiling was high, Natsusa could gather, as a pillar stretched from the ground and disappeared into the darkness overhead. The pillar was wide; it was a cylindrical tank. A cylindrical tank that contained a naked, floating body inside.

She approached the tank with caution. Inside, a young woman was held in a fetal position, bound by countless wires and strings that stretched across her body. Wires and pins were attached to her head; the wires floated upwards in the water, presumably attached to some machine above the pillar – Natusa could never know for sure, because they faded into the pitch black that lay above her.

The woman was emaciated, as if skin wrapped around her bones alone, with barely any flesh. Her lips and skin were pale, almost white, untainted, untouched – but Natsusa knew otherwise. It was a cruel purity after all; the girl probably had not been awake in a while, what chance could she have taken to experience harsh reality? Natsusa drew her finger along the face that was enclosed behind the glass wall, curious.

"I see you've met my cousin. She just arrived here," footsteps approached from behind.

The voice was foreign – at least, foreign to Natsusa.

"Who are you?" she replied coldly, backing up against the pillar.

"How hurtful. Just because I've betrayed you once, you've decided to completely forget about me?"

"I don't know you. I've never met you, much less have been betrayed by – "

"Ah! But how did you think you got here?"

Mukuro emerged from the shadow behind the pillar that lay directly opposite Natsusa. She bit her lips in frustration. Now that she thought about it, the man sent familiar vibes through her. It was as though it was not the first time that he was taunting her.

"Hn," Natsusa grunted.

"Well, now that we've gotten our past relationship out of the way," Mukuro purposely dragged his syllables, speaking slowly and pensively. "I suppose you want to know more about –"

He stepped towards the cylindrical tank, bringing up a gloved hand. Gently, he stroked the surface of the glass.

" – My dear cousin here, Chrome Dokuro."

"I have more urgent things to do than that, you cur," Natsusa growled. She did not dare to retaliate physically however, for her fatigue would drive her over the edge sooner or later.

"Is that a no? Then do you want to know more about me? That's strange, I would've thought you'd have known everything about me," Mukuro gave her a twisted grin.

"After all, everything I hate, you hate as well. Everything I've gone through, you've gone through. You should feel the same…same revulsion towards the people I hate. Isn't that right?"

Suddenly, he took a swift step in her direction and grabbed Natsusa. His fingers crawled behind her neck, caressing a mark that was imprinted there. Then, he whispered softly into her ear –

"Isn't that right? Because we have the same brand."

"Mukuro-san? What are you doing here?" A voice cut through the stale air – not just any voice, but one that sounded so innocent, so naïve.

Mukuro was taken aback for a moment, as he shoved Natsusa away. He took in a deep breath and scanned her eyes quickly, under the tank's dim glow. The pupils were no longer golden, but brown. That meant that…

"Oh, is that you, Sawada Tsuna?" he said casually.

"Who else would I be?" Tsuna asked questioningly. "Also, you're grabbing my wrist. It kind of hurts you know…"

"Ah, but this is for your own safety. Follow me, we must get out of here quickly."

Now, Mukuro was playing along. Since Natsusa had made an appropriate departure, he could take the chance to return Tsuna to Byakuran. The procedures for curing Chrome would then proceed accordingly.

"Y-You'll get me out safely right? This place looks kind of scary," Tsuna trembled, looking around. The naked figure of Chrome caught her eyes, and she jumped backwards.

"Yeah," he replied. Suddenly, he jumped; however cunning or sly or smooth Mukuro was, he could not contain his shock at what she did next.

He felt a pair of thin arms clutching onto him around his waist, and a face buried into his chest.

"Save me…Save me, Mukuro-san…No, save me –" Tsuna turned her face upwards to meet his eyes.

"Big…brother."

Tsuna's eyes were golden again. Mukuro's eyes widened as he was caught off his guard. Those words rang in his ears loudly, echoing at a crescendo. It was then he felt himself being pushed down, with Natsusa pinning his arms to the side.

"Ah, I had you figured for a siscon. Looks like you took the bait, hook, line and sinker."

"Tch – "

"How did I know? Intuition, I suppose. Now, where do we start…? I guess you've always seen a semblance of Chrome in Tsuna, don't you? That's why you got close to her!" Natsusa squeezed his wrists tighter.

Behind the pair, a crack was beginning to make its way across the glass tank.

* * *

Man liked to find a way with things. He toyed with nature, shaping it in ways his ancestors may not have even imagined. If there was anything out of his reach, he would be sure to attain it. If there was something he could not change, he would try to make something to change it. That is what he believed to set him above mere creatures – the intelligence to mold things the way he wanted.

One of the things he wanted to control was _emotion. _Amidst the concrete jungle that he had built for himself, he found that joy was getting harder and harder to grasp. So he followed this logic: if he could not attain joy, then he would create joy.

So, it was joy he created. Upon a floating research facility, built on a ship in the sky. The ship was dubbed _Leucosia (1), _and that would be a rather unfortunate name in the years that had yet to come. On this ship – Leucosia – singing dolls were created. These singing dolls were not ordinary – they were _organic _dolls – they were mortal. Then again, man's other tools died too – they were destroyed, or spoilt. These singing dolls were no different.

_Leucosians, _or so they were called, were the embodiment of what the scientists hoped to be the most advanced form of sound therapy. The Leucosians would sing, and people would be happy. The latest commercial endeavor would surely earn a lot of money, for the greater good of mankind.

Well, then that just left one problem. The Leucosians were… organic. They were, for lack of better descriptions, human. Not just any human, but a human envisioned to be a product.

Of course there was naught but trouble that could follow such a plan, built on man's hubris.

Nothing, nothing but trouble.

* * *

"Chrome? Chrome, where are you?" A little boy crawled across the bloodstained floor. Unable to see anything in the dark, he groped his way about the floor, occasionally scratching himself on furniture edges or pieces of cracked ceramic.

"Big…Bro – "A weak voice called out. It was barely a whisper.

"Chrome!" the boy moved desperately towards the voice, but another piece of glass had cut into his knees, reminding him of his injuries.

"Big…brother," the voice was weak, trembling. _Afraid. _

"Chrome, I'll save you, I'll save you, so don't die!" he desperately called out.

"I'm scared… of dying. I'm scared."

In his hurry, the boy fell over himself. But he quickly got up again. Carelessly stretching his hand out, he felt it – soft, but barely warm flesh.

"I'm here, I'm here, Chrome."

"Save me…Big…Brother," those were the finals words that shaking voice uttered.

"I can save her for you."

The little boy looked up, and through his tear-addled vision, he could make out a tall man twirling a fedora around his gun. The boy did not know, but the man only wore a grin in the face of such a desolate image set across him.

"You'll just have to agree to…a contract, because you're a special one…"

The boy gasped as the man bent down to touch his head.

"…The very first Leucosian, created by the Estraneo."

* * *

_(1) Leucosia is the name of a Siren. If you understand what sirens do, then you know the trouble that follows them..._

**A/N: **Before anyone's confused because I didn't put it out very obviously, but yes, Natsusa = Tsuna, or rather, she's my version of Hyper Tsuna. I tried keeping some of the original canon traits, but I discarded a few, such as his undying loyalty to his NAKAMA!one!11!. Well, and I made her a lot more cunning than the canon one (?). For a good reason though; with his hyper-intuition, I always thought there was a space for Tsunayoshi to be manipulative in the canon. Of course that is slightly, well, very out of character in the canon-verse, but I can dream, I suppose.

Edit: Some grammar.

While I'm at this I figured I should try this too. Since I took such a long break, I decided to take the story in a slightly different path from originally planned. For example, I'm sure that the lack of romance or whatnot _might_ turn people off, as this was intended to be All27 _at first,_ but I'm running through Mukuro's backstory/arc and while I was at it I decided romance should take a backseat/secondary plot for now so...many apologies for the disappointed. I just thought to clear this up in case anyone gets disappointed later on. However there'll be romance. Just not the main focus. I do need to romance to reach my intended ending, after all. And thanks for the reviews, as always. Sorry to keep all of you hanging on for so long!


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